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At least 19 records

Method for calculating wing characteristics by lifting-line theory using nonlinear section lift data

A method is presented for calculating wing characteristics by lifting-line theory using nonlinear section lift data. Material from various sources is combined with some original work into the single complete method described. Multhopp's systems of multipliers are employed to obtain the induced angle of attack directly from the spanwise lift distribution. Equations are developed for obtaining these multipliers for any even number of spanwise stations, and values are tabulated for 10 stations along the semispan for asymmetrical, symmetrical, and antisymmetrical lift distributions. In order to minimize the computing time and to illustrate the procedures involved, simplified computing forms containing detailed examples are given for symmetrical lift distributions. Similar forms for asymmetrical and antisymmetrical lift distributions, although not shown, can be readily constructed in the same manner as those given. The adaptation of the method for use with linear section lift data is also illustrated. The adaptation has been found to require less computing time than most existing methods.

Sivells, James C↗

Validation of Actuator Line and Actuator Disk Models with Filtered Lifting Line Corrections Implemented in Nalu-Wind Large Eddy Simulations of the Atmospheric Boundary Layer

Turbine generator power from simulations using Actuator Line Models and Actuator Disk Models with a Filtered Lifting Line Correction are compared to field data of a V27 turbine. Preliminary results of the wake characteristics are also presented. Turbine quantities of interest from traditional ALM and ADM with the Gaussian kernel (..epsilon..) set at the optimum value for matching power production and that resolve the kernel at all mesh sizes are also presented. The atmospheric boundary layer is simulated using Nalu-Wind, a Large Eddy Simulation code which is part of the ExaWind code suite. The effect of mesh resolution on quantities of interest is also examined.

Actuator Disk Models↗

Lifting line theory for transonic flow

Lifting line theory is applied to describe the flow about a lifting wing at transonic speeds. The method extends that of Van Dyke (1975), in which lifting line theory is viewed as a singular perturbation problem, to transonic flows. Inner and outer expansions as the aspect ratio approaches infinity of the transonic small disturbance equations are found. It is shown that the solutions match asymptotically. A boundary value problem is formulated which describes the first aspect ratio correction to the two dimensional cross sectional transonic flow. The theory is especially applicable to wings of similar cross-sections.

Cook, L. P.↗

A Solution Method for the Filtered Lifting Line Theory

The filtered lifting line theory presents a continuous form of the inviscid momentum equations of flow over a lifting device, such as a wing or rotor blade, using body forces without mathematical singularities. This theory is also consistent with an actuator line representation of a lifting device. In this work, we present a reformulation of the equations in terms of the local flow angle along the line, which allows solving the stand-alone equations using multivariate root-finding algorithms. This approach can be used to obtain a fast, computationally inexpensive solution of the loading distribution along a wing without the need to perform computational fluid dynamic simulations. We study the requirements in terms of resolution in the spanwise direction and establish the criteria for spacing and minimum amount of points required along the blade to obtain converged solutions. The solutions are compared to results from large-eddy simulations, and we observed excellent agreement with less than a percent difference in quantities along the blade between the methods.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

Unsteady lifting-line theory with applications

Unsteady lifting-line theory is developed for a flexible unswept wing of large aspect ratio oscillating at low frequency in inviscid incompressible flow. The theory is formulated in terms of the acceleration potential and treated by the method of matched asymptotic expansions. The wing displacements are prescribed and the pressure field, airloads, and unsteady induced downwash are obtained in closed form. Sample numerical calculations are presented. The present work identifies and resolves errors in the unsteady lifting-line theory of James and points out a limitation in that of Van Holten. Comparison of the results of Reissner's approximate unsteady lifting-surface theory with those of the present work shows favorable agreement. The present work thus provides some formal justification for Reissner's ad hoc theory. For engineering purposes, the region of applicability of the theory in the reduced frequency-aspect ratio domain is identified approximately and found to cover most cases of practical interest.

Ahmadi, A. R.↗

Correlation of Puma airloads: Lifting-line and wake calculation

A cooperative program undertaken by organizations in the United States, England, France, and Australia has assessed the strengths and weaknesses of four lifting-line/wake methods and three CFD methods by comparing their predictions with the data obtained in flight trials of a research Puma. The Puma was tested in two configurations: a mixed bladed rotor with instrumented rectangular tip blades, and a configuration with four identical swept tip blades. The results are examined of the lifting-line predictions. The better lifting-line methods show good agreement with lift at the blade tip for the configuration with four swept tips; the moment is well predicted at 0.92 R, but deteriorates outboard. The predictions for the mixed bladed rotor configuration range from fair to good. The lift prediction is better for the swept tip blade than for the rectangular tip blade, but the reasons for this cannot be determined because of the unmodeled effects of the mixed bladed rotor.

Bousman, William G.↗

Unsteady lifting-line theory as a singular-perturbation problem

Unsteady lifting-line theory is developed for a wing of large aspect ratio oscillating at low frequency in inviscid incompressible flow. The wing is assumed to have a rigid chord but a flexible span. Use of the method of matched asymptotic expansions reduces the problem from a singular integral equation to quadrature. The pressure field and airloads, for a prescribed wing shape and motion, are obtained in closed form as expansions in inverse aspect ratio. A rigorous definition of unsteady induced downwash is also obtained. Numerical calculations are presented for an elliptic wing in pitch and heave; compared with numerical lifting-surface theory, computation time is reduced significantly. The present work also identifies and resolves errors in the unsteady lifting line theory of James (1975), and points out a limitation in that of Van Holten (1975, 1976, 1977).

Ahmadi, A.↗

Numerical lifting line theory applied to drooped leading-edge wings below and above stall

A numerical iterative solution to the classical Prandtl lifting-line theory, suitably modified for poststall behavior, is used to study the aerodynamic characteristics of straight rectangular finite wings with and without leading-edge droop. This study is prompted by the use of such leading-edge modifications to inhibit stall/spins in light general aviation aircraft. The results indicate that lifting-line solutions at high angle of attack can be obtained that agree with experimental data to within 20%, and much closer for many cases. Therefore, such solutions give reasonable preliminary engineering results for both drooped and undrooped wings in the poststall region. However, as predicted by von Karman, the lifting-line solutions are not unique when sectional negative lift slopes are encountered. In addition, the present numerical results always yield symmetrical lift distributions along the span, in contrast to the asymmetrical solutions observed by Schairer in the late 1930's. Finally, a series of parametric tests at low angle of attack indicate that the effect of drooped leading edges on aircraft cruise performance is minimal.

Anderson, J. D., Jr.↗

Generalized filtered lifting line theory for arbitrary chord lengths and application to wind turbine blades

Abstract The filtered lifting line theory is an analytical approach used to solve the equations of flow subjected to body forces with a Gaussian distribution, such as used in the actuator line model. In the original formulation, the changes in chord length along the blade were assumed to be small. This assumption can lead to errors in the induced velocities predicted by the theory compared to full solutions of the equations. In this work, we revisit the original derivation and provide a more general formulation that can account for significant changes in chord along the blade. The revised formulation can be applied to wings with significant changes in chord along the span, such as wind turbine blades.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

An asymptotic unsteady lifting-line theory with energetics and optimum motion of thrust-producing lifting surfaces

A low frequency unsteady lifting-line theory is developed for a harmonically oscillating wing of large aspect ratio. The wing is assumed to be chordwise rigid but completely flexible in the span direction. The theory is developed by use of the method of matched asymptotic expansions which reduces the problem from a singular integral equation to quadrature. The wing displacements are prescribed and the pressure field, airloads, and unsteady induced downwash are obtained in closed form. The influence of reduced frequency, aspect ratio, planform shape, and mode of oscillation on wing aerodynamics is demonstrated through numerical examples. Compared with lifting-surface theory, computation time is reduced significantly. Using the present theory, the energetic quantities associated with the propulsive performance of a finite wing oscillating in combined pitch and heave are obtained in closed form. Numerical examples are presented for an elliptic wing.

Ahmadi, A. R.↗

Linearized Lifting-Surface and Lifting-line Evaluations of Sidewash Behind Rolling Triangular Wings at Supersonic Speeds

The lifting-surface sidewash behind rolling triangular wings has been derived for a range of supersonic Mach numbers for which the wing leading edges remain swept behind the mark cone emanating from the wing apex. Variations of the sidewash with longitudinal distance in the vertical plane of symmetry are presented in graphical form. An approximate expression for the sidewash has been developed by means of an approach using a horseshoe-vortex approximate-lifting-line theory. By use of this approximate expression, sidewash may be computed for wings of arbitrary plan form and span loading. A comparison of the sidewash computed by lifting-surface and lifting-line expressions for the triangular wing showed good agreement except in the vicinity of the trailing edge when the leading edge approached the sonic condition. An illustrative calculation has been made of the force induced by the wing sidewash on a vertical tail located in various longitudinal positions.

Bobbitt, Percy J↗

A Comparison of Lifting-Line and CFD Methods with Flight Test Data from a Research Puma Helicopter

Four lifting-line methods were compared with flight test data from a research Puma helicopter and the accuracy assessed over a wide range of flight speeds. Hybrid Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) methods were also examined for two high-speed conditions. A parallel analytical effort was performed with the lifting-line methods to assess the effects of modeling assumptions and this provided insight into the adequacy of these methods for load predictions.

Bousman, William G.↗

Transonic swept wings studied by the lifting-line theory

Transonic swept wings are analyzed as a lifting-line problem under a small-disturbance approximation. Basic concepts and principal results of the asymptotic theory are discussed. The study focuses on straight oblique wings and V-shaped swept wings, of which the local centerline curvature can be equated to zero. The three-dimensional (3-D) perturbation of the nonlinear component flow admits a similarity flow structure but requires that all wing sections are generated from a single airfoil profile; the reduced 2-D problems in this case are solved only once for all span stations. Examples of solutions involving high subcritical and slightly supercritical component flows are demonstrated and compared with surface pressure data from 3-D computer codes based on the full-potential equation (FLO 22). Except in the neighborhood of leading edges, where the small-disturbance assumption breaks down, and in the vicinities of wing tips and the symmetry plane, where neither the theory nor the 3-D codes may claim full validity, reasonable agreement is consistently found. The explicit results from the upwash analysis, along with the similarity flow structure, provides a rational approach to the control of 3-D effects in transonic aerodynamic design studies.

Cheng, H. K.↗

Lifting-line theory of oblique wings

The study extends Prandtl's lifting-line theory to planar wings involving swept and curved centerlines. Attention is focused on distinct features of such a theory, with special emphasis on an oblique wing in a steady incompressible potential flow. The analysis presented is compared with exact solutions derived from an inverse method and with results from a panel method.

Cheng, H. K.↗