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At least 1,423 records · Page 79

Testing of lift/cruise fan exhaust deflector

A lift/cruise exhaust deflector system for the LF336/A tip turbine lift fan was designed, built, and tested to determine the design and performance characteristics of a large-scale, single swivel nozzle thrust vectoring system. The exhaust deflector static testing was performed at the Ames Research Center outside static test stand facilities. The test hardware was installed on a hydraulic lift platform to permit both in and out of ground effect testing. The exhaust flow of the LF336/A lift fan was vectored from 0 degrees through 130 degrees during selected fan speeds to obtain performance at different operating conditions. The system was operated with and without flow vanes installed in the small radius bends to evaluate the system performance based on a proposed method of improving the internal flow losses. The program also included testing at different ground heights, to the nozzle exhaust plane, to obtain ground effect data, and the testing of two methods of thrust spoiling using a duct bypass door system and nozzle flap system.

Schlundt, D. W.↗

Influence of optimized leading-edge deflection and geometric anhedral on the low-speed aerodynamic characteristics of a low-aspect-ratio highly swept arrow-wing configuration

An investigation conducted in the Langley 7 by 10 foot tunnel to determine the influence of an optimized leading-edge deflection on the low speed aerodynamic performance of a configuration with a low aspect ratio, highly swept wing. The sensitivity of the lateral stability derivative to geometric anhedral was also studied. The optimized leading edge deflection was developed by aligning the leading edge with the incoming flow along the entire span. Owing to spanwise variation of unwash, the resulting optimized leading edge was a smooth, continuously warped surface for which the deflection varied from 16 deg at the side of body to 50 deg at the wing tip. For the particular configuration studied, levels of leading-edge suction on the order of 90 percent were achieved. The results of tests conducted to determine the sensitivity of the lateral stability derivative to geometric anhedral indicate values which are in reasonable agreement with estimates provided by simple vortex-lattice theories.

Coe, P. L., Jr.↗

Measurements obtained during the glide-flight program of the Bell X-2 research airplane

Results obtained during the glide-flight program of the Bell X-2 research airplane are presented. Landing characteristics and limited data evaluating static longitudinal stability at low speeds are included. The data indicated positive static longitudinal stability in unaccelerated flight from indicated airspeeds of 152 to 178 miles per hour for the clean configuration, between 142 and 171 miles per hour with the flaps up and gear extended, and between 142 and 204 miles per hour with flaps and gear extended. A region of neutral stability, both stick fixed and stick free, was apparent between 178 and 192 miles per hour for the clean configuration. Data obtained during a turn made at an indicated airspeed of approximately 235 miles per hour with steadily increasing acceleration indicated positive stick-free and stick-fixed longitudinal stability. Stick force per unit normal acceleration was approximately 15 pounds. Pilots' notes indicated that dynamic stability in each plane of reference was apparently positive with satisfactory damping for the speed range covered. The main landing-skid surface area was enlarged 300 percent for flights 2 and 3 with a resulting improvement in landing characteristics. Average longitudinal deceleration during the ground run was decreased from 0.7 unit of acceleration for flight 1 to a value of 0.3 unit of acceleration for flights 2 and 3. Normal acceleration at the nose wheel was correspondingly reduced from 4 to 2.8 units of acceleration. The addition of inboard wing skids prevented rolling onto a wing tip during ground run.

Richard E Day↗

Jet Interference Effects on a Model of a Single-Engine Four Jet V/STOL Airplane at Mach Numbers from 0.60 to 1.00

An investigation was conducted in the Langley 16-foot transonic tunnel to determine the interference from four exhaust jets on the aerodynamic characteristics of a model of a V/STOL airplane. The single- engine four-jet turbofan power plant of the airplane was simulated by inducing tunnel airflow through two large side inlets and injecting the decomposition products of hydrogen peroxide into the internal flow. The heated gas mixture was exhausted through four nozzles located on the sides of the fuselage under the wing, two near the wing leading edge and two forward of the trailing edge; the nozzles were deflected downward 1.5 deg and outward 5.0 deg to simulate cruise conditions. The wing of the model was a clipped delta with leading-edge sweep of 40 deg, aspect ratio of 3.06, taper ratio of 0.218, thickness-chord ratio of 0.09 at the root and 0.07 at the tip, and 10 deg negative dihedral. Aerodynamic and longitudinal stability coefficients were obtained for the model with the tail removed, and for horizontal-tail incidences of 0 deg and -5 deg. Data were obtained at Mach numbers from 0.60 to 1.00, angles of attack from 0 deg to 12 deg, and with jet total-pressure ratios up to 3.1. Jet operation generally caused a decrease in lift, an increase in pitching-moment coefficient, and a decrease in longitudinal stability at subsonic speeds. The jet interference effects on drag were detrimental at a Mach number of 0.60 and favorable at higher speeds for cruising-flight attitudes.

Schmeer, James W.↗

[Tail Plane Icing]

The Aviation Safety Program initiated by NASA in 1997 has put greater emphasis in safety related research activities. Ice-contaminated-tailplane stall (ICTS) has been identified by the NASA Lewis Icing Technology Branch as an important activity for aircraft safety related research. The ICTS phenomenon is characterized as a sudden, often uncontrollable aircraft nose- down pitching moment, which occurs due to increased angle-of-attack of the horizontal tailplane resulting in tailplane stall. Typically, this phenomenon occurs when lowering the flaps during final approach while operating in or recently departing from icing conditions. Ice formation on the tailplane leading edge can reduce tailplane angle-of-attack range and cause flow separation resulting in a significant reduction or complete loss of aircraft pitch control. In 1993, the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) and NASA embarked upon a four-year research program to address the problem of tailplane stall and to quantify the effect of tailplane ice accretion on aircraft performance and handling characteristics. The goals of this program, which was completed in March 1998, were to collect aerodynamic data for an aircraft tail with and without ice contamination and to develop analytical methods for predicting the effects of tailplane ice contamination. Extensive dry air and icing tunnel tests which resulted in a database of the aerodynamic effects associated with tailplane ice contamination. Although the FAA/NASA tailplane icing program generated some answers regarding ice-contaminated-tailplane stall (ICTS) phenomena, NASA researchers have found many open questions that warrant further investigation into ICTS. In addition, several aircraft manufacturers have expressed interest in a second research program to expand the database to other tail configurations and to develop experimental and computational methodologies for evaluating the ICTS phenomenon. In 1998, the icing branch at NASA Lewis initiated a second multi-phase research program for tailplane icing (TIP II) to develop test methodologies and tailplane performance and handling qualities evaluation tools. The main objectives of this new NASA/Industry/Academia collaborative research programs were: (1) define and evaluate a sub-scale wind tunnel test methodology for determining tailplane performance degradation due to icing. (2) develop an experimental database of tailplane aerodynamic performance with and without ice contamination for a range of tailplane configurations. Wind tunnel tests were planned with representative general aviation aircraft, i.e., the Learjet 45, and a twin engine low speed aircraft. This report summarizes the research performed during the first year of the study, and outlines the work tasks for the second year.

Source record↗

Location of largest earthquake slip and fast rupture controlled by along-strike change in fault structural maturity due to fault growth

Earthquake slip distributions are asymmetric along strike, but the reasons for the asymmetry are unknown. We address this question by establishing empirical relations between earthquake slip profiles and fault properties. We analyze the slip distributions of 27 large continental earthquakes in the context of available information on their causative faults, in particular on the directions of their long-term lengthening. We find that the largest slips during each earthquake systematically occurred on that half of the ruptured fault sections most distant from the long-term fault propagating tips, i.e., on the most mature half of the broken fault sections. Meanwhile, slip decreased linearly over most of the rupture length in the direction of long-term fault propagation, i.e., of decreasing structural maturity along strike. We suggest that this earthquake slip asymmetry is governed by along-strike changes in fault properties, including fault zone compliance and fault strength, induced by the evolution of off-fault damage, fault segmentation, and fault planarity with increasing structural maturity. We also find higher rupture speeds in more mature rupture sections, consistent with predicted effects of low-velocity damage zones on rupture dynamics. Since the direction(s) of long-term fault propagation can be determined from geological evidence, it might be possible to anticipate in which direction earthquake slip, once nucleated, may increase, accelerate, and possibly lead to a large earthquake. Finally, our results could thus contribute to earthquake hazard assessment and Earthquake Early Warning.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Millimeter-wave electromagnetic monitoring for liquid metal droplet-on-demand printing

As new printing approaches emerge, in situ diagnostics to monitor the print quality in real-time become essential for long-term monitoring and feedback control. In this article, we present a millimeter-wave electromagnetic monitoring approach for liquid metal droplet-on-demand printing to support the high-speed and real-time evaluation of droplet ejection. An open-ended rectangular waveguide is placed perpendicular to a jetted droplet stream and operated at a continuous-wave frequency of 40 GHz. Liquid metal droplets with diameters as low as 1.2 mm are characterized, and droplet jetting events on the order of 500 μm are detected at ejection rates up to 80 Hz. The measured results demonstrate that trends at the macro-level (large-scale print variation and anomalies at the nozzle tip) as well as micro-level (droplet size, position, and dynamics) can be detected using this technique.

42 ENGINEERING↗

A preliminary comparison between the SR-6 propeller noise in flight and in a wind tunnel

High speed turboprops offer an attractive candidate for aircraft because of their high propulsive efficiency. However, one of the possible problems associated with these propellers is their high noise level at cruise condition that may create a cabin environment problem. Models of these propellers were tested for acoustics in the 8 by 6-foot wind tunnel and on the Jet Star airplane. Comparisons between the airplane and wind tunnel data for the SR-6 propeller are shown. The comparison of maximum blade passing tone variation with helical tip Mach number between the tunnel and flight data was good when corrected to the same test conditions. Directivity comparisons also showed fairly good agreement. These good comparisons indicate that the wind tunnel is a viable location for measuring the blade passage tone noise of these propellers.

Dittmar, J. H.↗

F/A-18 forebody vortex control. Volume 2: Rotary-balance tests

A rotary-balance wind tunnel test was conducted on a six percent model of the F/A-18 at the NASA Ames 7 X 10-Foot Low Speed Wind Tunnel. The data reduction was specially written for the test in National Instruments' LabVIEW. The data acquisition, reduction and analysis was performed with a Macintosh computer. The primary objective of the test was to evaluate the effectiveness of several forebody vortex control configurations in a rotary flow field. The devices that were found to be the most effective during the static tests (Volume 1) were investigated and included both mechanical and pneumatic configurations. The mechanical systems evaluated were small, single and dual, rotating nose tip strakes and a vertical nose strake. The jet blowing configuration used nozzles canted inboard 60 degrees. A two segment tangential slot was also evaluated. The different techniques were evaluated at angles of attack of 30 degrees, 45 degrees, 51 degrees, and 60 degrees. Sideslip and Reynolds number were varied for some of the configurations. All of the techniques proved to be effective in the rotating flow field. The vertical nose strake had the largest 'envelope' of effectiveness. Forebody vortex control provides large, robust yawing moments at medium to high angles of attack, even during combat maneuvers such as loaded roll.

Kramer, Brian R.↗

Laser Anemometer Measurements of the Flow Field in a 4:1 Pressure Ratio Centrifugal Impeller

A laser-doppler anemometer was used to obtain flow-field velocity measurements in a 4:1 pressure ratio, 4.54 kg/s (10 lbm/s), centrifugal impeller, with splitter blades and backsweep, which was configured with a vaneless diffuser. Measured through-flow velocities are reported for ten quasi-orthogonal survey planes at locations ranging from 1% to 99% of main blade chord. Measured through-flow velocities are compared to those predicted by a 3-D viscous steady flow analysis (Dawes) code. The measurements show the development and progression through the impeller and vaneless diffuser of a through-flow velocity deficit which results from the tip clearance flow and accumulation of low momentum fluid centrifuged from the blade and hub surfaces. Flow traces from the CFD analysis show the origin of this deficit which begins to grow in the inlet region of the impeller where it is first detected near the suction surface side of the passage. It then moves toward the pressure side of the channel, due to the movement of tip clearance flow across the impeller passage, where it is cut by the splitter blade leading edge. As blade loading increases toward the rear of the channel the deficit region is driven back toward the suction surface by the cross-passage pressure gradient. There is no evidence of a large wake region that might result from flow separation and the impeller efficiency is relatively high. The flow field in this impeller is quite similar to that documented previously by NASA Lewis in a large low-speed backswept impeller.

Skoch, G. J.↗

Wind-Tunnel Tests to Determine Aileron Characteristics of the McDonnell XFD-1 Airplane, TED No. NACA 23102

Tests were performed on a partial span of the wing of a McDonnell XFD-1 airplane to determine a combination of sealed internal balance and spring-tab stiffness for the aileron that would give satisfactory stick-force characteristics for the airplane. Two sealed internal balances were tested in combination with spring tabs of various stiffnesses. One of the combinations was tested at several speeds to determine the variation of stick force with speed. Estimates, based on the results of the tests, indicate that for this airplane any reduction of stick force by use of the spring tab reduces the helix angle pb/2V below the required value of 0.09. The estimates show that, of the configurations tested, the most satisfactory combination for obtaining a stick force of 30 pounds at 300 miles per hour indicated airspeed is a 0.48-chord internal balance in combination with a spring-tab stiffness of 500 pounds per inch. With this combination, a wing-tip helix angle of 0.078 is estimated. Stick-force curves for all configurations show a rapid increase in stick force above approximately 20 deg. total aileron deflection.

Yates, Campbell C.↗

Characterization of Axial Inducer Cavitation Instabilities via High Speed Video Recordings

Sub-scale water tests were undertaken to assess the viability of utilizing high resolution, high frame-rate digital video recordings of a liquid rocket engine turbopump axial inducer to characterize cavitation instabilities. These high speed video (HSV) images of various cavitation phenomena, including higher order cavitation, rotating cavitation, alternating blade cavitation, and asymmetric cavitation, as well as non-cavitating flows for comparison, were recorded from various orientations through an acrylic tunnel using one and two cameras at digital recording rates ranging from 6,000 to 15,700 frames per second. The physical characteristics of these cavitation forms, including the mechanisms that define the cavitation frequency, were identified. Additionally, these images showed how the cavitation forms changed and transitioned from one type (tip vortex) to another (sheet cavitation) as the inducer boundary conditions (inlet pressures) were changed. Image processing techniques were developed which tracked the formation and collapse of cavitating fluid in a specified target area, both in the temporal and frequency domains, in order to characterize the cavitation instability frequency. The accuracy of the analysis techniques was found to be very dependent on target size for higher order cavitation, but much less so for the other phenomena. Tunnel-mounted piezoelectric, dynamic pressure transducers were present throughout these tests and were used as references in correlating the results obtained by image processing. Results showed good agreement between image processing and dynamic pressure spectral data. The test set-up, test program, and test results including H-Q and suction performance, dynamic environment and cavitation characterization, and image processing techniques and results will be discussed.

Arellano, Patrick↗

Time-Varying Loads of Co-Axial Rotor Blade Crossings

The blade crossing event of a coaxial counter-rotating rotor is a potential source of noise and impulsive blade loads. Blade crossings occur many times during each rotor revolution. In previous research by the authors, this phenomenon was analyzed by simulating two airfoils passing each other at specified speeds and vertical separation distances, using the compressible Navier-Stokes solver OVERFLOW. The simulations explored mutual aerodynamic interactions associated with thickness, circulation, and compressibility effects. Results revealed the complex nature of the aerodynamic impulses generated by upperlower airfoil interactions. In this paper, the coaxial rotor system is simulated using two trains of airfoils, vertically offset, and traveling in opposite directions. The simulation represents multiple blade crossings in a rotor revolution by specifying horizontal distances between each airfoil in the train based on the circumferential distance between blade tips. The shed vorticity from prior crossing events will affect each pair of upperlower airfoils. The aerodynamic loads on the airfoil and flow field characteristics are computed before, at, and after each airfoil crossing. Results from the multiple-airfoil simulation show noticeable changes in the airfoil aerodynamics by introducing additional fluctuation in the aerodynamic time history.

Time-Varying Loads↗

Active Flow Control on Vertical Tail Models

Active flow control (AFC) subscale experiments were conducted at the Lucas Wind Tunnel of the California Institute of Technology. Tests were performed on a generic vertical tail model at low speeds. Fluidic oscillators were used at the trailing edge of the main element (vertical stabilizer) to redirect the flow over the rudder and delay or prevent flow separation. Side force increases in excess of 50% were achieved with a 2% momentum coefficient (C(sub μ)) input. The results indicated that a collective C(sub μ) of about 1% could increase the side force by 30–50%. This result is achieved by reducing the spanwise flow on the swept back wings that contributes to early flow separation near their tips. These experiments provided the technical backdrop to test the full-scale Boeing 757 vertical tail model equipped with a fluidic oscillator system at the National Full-scale Aerodynamics Complex 40-by 80-foot Wind Tunnel, NASA Ames Research Center. The C(sub μ) is shown to be an important parameter for scaling a fluidic oscillator AFC system from subscale to full-scale wind tunnel tests. The results of these tests provided the required rationale to use a fluidic oscillator AFC configuration for a follow-on flight test on the Boeing 757 ecoDemonstrator.

Andino, Marlyn Y.↗

A control-oriented combustion model framework for compression ignition engines operating on low-reactivity fuel

This work focuses on zero-dimensional modeling of the heat release rate in a compression ignition engine operating on gasoline-like fuels. Due to the properties of gasoline, such as high volatility and longer ignition delay than diesel, the injection strategies can vary significantly from the operation with conventional diesel fuel. Different injection strategies are commonly used to achieve varying degrees of in-cylinder stratification in order to shape the combustion event and maximize efficiency. The proposed zero-dimensional combustion model was developed to account for the different stages in combustion caused by the fuel stratification. As the ignition delay model is an integral part of the entire combustion process and significantly affects the prediction accuracy, special attention has been paid to local phenomena influencing ignition delay. A one-dimensional spray model by Musculus and Kattke was employed in conjunction with a Lagrangian tracking approach in order to estimate the local air–fuel ratio within the spray tip, as a proxy for reactivity. The local air–fuel ratio, in-cylinder temperature and pressure were used in an integral fashion to estimate the ignition delay. Heat release rates were modeled using first-order non-linear differential equations. The proposed combustion model was validated against experimental data of a heavy-duty compression ignition engine with up to three injection events at mostly 1038 r/min and 14 bar brake mean effective pressure. Further validation of the model was carried out at other engine loads and speeds. Model prediction errors in CA50 of less than 1 °CA across all conditions were found. Modeling results of other combustion metrics such as combustion duration and indicated mean effective pressure are also highly satisfactory. In addition, the model has been shown to be capable of estimating the ringing intensity for most conditions.

Pamminger, Michael↗

Investigation of Effectiveness of Air-Heating a Hollow Steel Propeller for Protection Against Icing. 3: 25% Partitioned Blades

The icing protection obtained from an internally air-heated propeller blade partitioned to confine the heated air forward of 25-percent chord was investigated in the NACA Cleveland icing research tunnel. A production-model hollow steel propeller was modified with an Internal radial partition at 25-percent chord and with shank and tip openings to admit and exhaust the heated air. Temperatures were measured on the blade surfaces and in the heated-air system during tunnel icing conditions. Heat-exchanger effectiveness and photographs of Ice formations on the blades were obtained. Surface temperature measurements indicated that confining the heated air forward of the 25-percent chord gave.a more economical distribution of the applied heat as compared with unpartitioned and 50-percent partitioned blades, by dissipating a greater percentage of the available heat at the leading edge. At a propeller speed of 850 rpm, a heating rate of 7000 Btu per hour per blade at a shank air temperature of 400 F provided adequate Icing protection at ambient-air temperatures of 23 F but not at temperatures as low as 15 F. With the heating rate used, a heat-exchanger effectiveness of 77 percent was obtained as compared to 56 percent for 50-percent partitioned and 47 percent for unpartitioned blades.

Mulholland, Donald R.↗

Flow Over Swept Flaps and Flap Tips

Preliminary measurements have been made of the flow over the tip of an unswept wing flap. To achieve an acceptable Reynolds number based on flap chord, the flap chord was chosen equal to the chord of the main airfoil (c = 19 in. approx. 0.48 m). The model was mounted in a 30 in. x 30 in. wind tunnel running at up to 100 ft/sec. (30 m/s): severe wind-tunnel interference was accepted, and any computations would be done using the tunnel walls as the boundaries of the computational domain. Maximum Reynolds number based on flap chord and tunnel speed was about 1.O x lO(exp 6). The grant ended before a full set of measurements could be made, but the work done so far yields a useful picture of the flow. The vortex originates at about mid-chord on the flap and rises rapidly above the chord line. It has a concentrated core, with total pressure lower than the ambient static pressure, and there is no evidence of large-scale wandering. A simple method of model construction, giving light weight and excellent surface finish, was developed.

Bradshaw, Peter↗

Benefits of Swept and Leaned Stators for Fan Noise Reduction

An advanced high bypass ratio fan model was tested in the NASA Lewis Research Center 9 x 15-Foot Low Speed Wind Tunnel. The primary focus of this test was to quantify the acoustic benefits and aerodynamic performance of sweep and lean in stator vane design. Three stator sets were used for this test series. A conventional radial stator was tested at two rotor-stator axial spacings. Additional stator sets incorporating sweep + lean, and sweep only were also tested. The hub axial location for the swept + lean, and sweep only stators corresponded to the location of the radial stator at the upstream rotor-stator spacing, while the tip axial location of these modified stators corresponded to the radial stator axial position at the downstream position. The acoustic results show significant reductions in both rotor-stator interaction noise and broadband noise beyond what could be achieved through increased axial spacing of the conventional, radial stator. Theoretical application of these results to acoustically quantify a fictitious 2-engine aircraft and flight path suggested that about 3 Effective Perceived Noise (EPN) dB could be achieved through incorporation of these modified stators. This reduction would represent a significant portion of the 6 EPNdB noise goal of the current NASA Advanced Subsonic Technology (AST) initiative relative to that of 1992 technology levels. A secondary result of this fan test was to demonstrate the ability of an acoustic barrier wall to block aft-radiated fan noise in the wind tunnel, thus revealing the acoustic structure of the residual inlet-radiated noise. This technology should prove valuable toward better understanding inlet liner design, or wherever it is desirable to eliminate aft-radiated noise from the fan acoustic signature.

Woodward, Richard P.↗