No description available.

No description available.

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited / The flowfield downstream of a vertically-launched surface-to-air missile model at an angle of attack of 50° and a Reynolds number of 1.1 x 10(5) was investigated in a wind tunnel of the Naval Postgraduate School. The goal of this thesis is to experimentally validate the pressure measurement system for flowfield variables with elevated levels of turbulence; to determine the location and intensity of the asymmetric vortices in the wake of the VLSAM model at a raised level of freestream turbulence; and to display the asymmetric vortices by velocity mapping and pressure contours. The purpose is to correlate the results with the force measurements of Rabang to provide a greater understanding of the vortex flowfield. The body-only configuration was tested. Two flowfield conditions were treated: the nominal ambient wind tunnel condition, and a condition with grid­ generated turbulence of 3.8% turbulence intensity and a dissipation length scale of 1.7 inches. The following conclusions were reached: 1) The relative strengths of the asymmetric vortices can be noted by the sharp spike shape in the ambient condition; this condition becomes diffused and becomes fatter in the turbulent condition; 2) The right side vortex has greater strength than the left side one as seen by the diffusion in the total pressure coefficient and static pressure coefficient contours with and without a turbulent condition; 3) an increase in turbulence intensity tends to reduce the strength of the asymmetric nose-generated vortices; also pushes the two asymmetric vortices closer together; 4) and crossflow velocities were examined and were found to indicate the behavior denoted by the pressure contours. / http://archive.org/details/flowfieldmeasure00lung / Lieutenant, Republic of China Navy

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited / A low speed wind tunnel investigation was conducted to examine the aerodynamic characteristics of the flowfield around a three percent scale YF-17 lightweight fighter prototype model at high angles of attack using flow visualization and force and moment measurements. Smoke filaments, injected into the wind tunnel test section, were illuminated by a laser sheet to highlight flow phenomena about the model. Force and moment measurements were made using a precision six-component strain gage balance. The investigation marked the first attempt at qualitative flow analysis using the laser sheet flow visualization system recently installed in the Naval Postgraduate School low speed wind tunnel facility. The investigation was undertaken to specifically identify flow phenomena and/or regions of interest that may have bearing on the design and performance of supermaneuverable aircraft. The data indicate a good correlation between the observed flow phenomena and force and moment measurements at various angles of attack, thus establishing the credibility of such experimental investigations for high angle of attack aerodynamic research. / http://archive.org/details/experimentalinve00leed / Lieutenant Commander, United States Navy

Aerodynamic devices, such as wings, are used in higher levels of motorsport (Formula-1 etc.) to increase the contact force between the road and tyres (i.e. to generate downforce). This in turn increases the performance envelope of the race car. However the extra downforce increases aerodynamic drag which (apart from when braking) is generally detrimental to lap-times. The drag acts to slow the vehicle, and hinders the effect of available drive power and reduces fuel economy. Wings, in automotive use, are not constrained by the same parameters as aircraft, and thus higher angles of attack can be safely reached, although at a higher cost in drag. Variable geometry aerodynamic devices have been used in many forms of motorsport in the past offering the ability to change the relative values of downforce and drag. These have invariably been banned, generally due to safety reasons. The use of active aerodynamics is currently legal in both Formula SAE (engineering compet ition for university students to design, build and race an open-wheel race car) and production vehicles. A number of passenger car companies are beginning to incorporate active aerodynamic devices in their designs. In this research the effect of ground proximity on the lift, drag and moment coefficients of inverted, two-dimensional aerofoils was investigated. The purpose of the study was to examine the effect ground proximity on aerofoils post stall, in an effort to evaluate the use of active aerodynamics to increase the performance of a race car. The aerofoils were tested at angles of attack ranging from 0° - 135°. The tests were performed at a Reynolds number of 2.16 x 105 based on chord length. Forces were calculated via the use of pressure taps along the centreline of the aerofoils. The RMIT Industrial Wind Tunnel (IWT) was used for the testing. Normally 3m wide and 2m high, an extra contraction was installed and the section was reduced to form a width of 295mm. The wing was mounted between walls to simulate 2-D flow. The IWT was chosen as it would allow enough height to reduce blockage effect caused by the aerofoils when at high angles of incidence. The walls of the tunnel were pressure tapped to allow monitoring of the pressure gradient along the tunnel. The results show a delay in the stall of the aerofoils tested with reduced ground clearance. Two of the aerofoils tested showed a decrease in Cl with decreasing ground clearance; the third showed an increase. The Cd of the aerofoils post-stall decreased with reduced ground clearance. Decreasing ground clearance was found to reduce pitch moment variation of the aerofoils with varied angle of attack. The results were used in a simulation of a typical Formula SAE race car.

No description available.

Aerodynamic devices, such as wings, are used in higher levels of motorsport (Formula-1 etc.) to increase the contact force between the road and tyres (i.e. to generate downforce). This in turn increases the performance envelope of the race car. However the extra downforce increases aerodynamic drag which (apart from when braking) is generally detrimental to lap-times. The drag acts to slow the vehicle, and hinders the effect of available drive power and reduces fuel economy. Wings, in automotive use, are not constrained by the same parameters as aircraft, and thus higher angles of attack can be safely reached, although at a higher cost in drag. Variable geometry aerodynamic devices have been used in many forms of motorsport in the past offering the ability to change the relative values of downforce and drag. These have invariably been banned, generally due to safety reasons. The use of active aerodynamics is currently legal in both Formula SAE (engineering compet ition for university students to design, build and race an open-wheel race car) and production vehicles. A number of passenger car companies are beginning to incorporate active aerodynamic devices in their designs. In this research the effect of ground proximity on the lift, drag and moment coefficients of inverted, two-dimensional aerofoils was investigated. The purpose of the study was to examine the effect ground proximity on aerofoils post stall, in an effort to evaluate the use of active aerodynamics to increase the performance of a race car. The aerofoils were tested at angles of attack ranging from 0° - 135°. The tests were performed at a Reynolds number of 2.16 x 105 based on chord length. Forces were calculated via the use of pressure taps along the centreline of the aerofoils. The RMIT Industrial Wind Tunnel (IWT) was used for the testing. Normally 3m wide and 2m high, an extra contraction was installed and the section was reduced to form a width of 295mm. The wing was mounted between walls to simulate 2-D flow. The IWT was chosen as it would allow enough height to reduce blockage effect caused by the aerofoils when at high angles of incidence. The walls of the tunnel were pressure tapped to allow monitoring of the pressure gradient along the tunnel. The results show a delay in the stall of the aerofoils tested with reduced ground clearance. Two of the aerofoils tested showed a decrease in Cl with decreasing ground clearance; the third showed an increase. The Cd of the aerofoils post-stall decreased with reduced ground clearance. Decreasing ground clearance was found to reduce pitch moment variation of the aerofoils with varied angle of attack. The results were used in a simulation of a typical Formula SAE race car.

The quality of the flow over a 75 degree-sweep delta wing was documented for steady angles of attack and during dynamic maneuvers with and without the use of two control surfaces. The three-dimensional velocity field over a delta wing at a steady angle of attack of 38 degrees and Reynolds number of 72,000 was mapped out using laser-Doppler velocimetry over one side of the wing. The three-dimensional streamline and vortex line distributions were visualized. Isosurfaces of vorticity, planar distributions of helicity and all three vorticity components, and the indicator of the stability of the core were studied and compared to see which indicated breakdown first. Visualization of the streamlines and vortex lines near the core of the vortex indicate that the core has a strong inviscid character, and hence Reynolds number independence, upstream of breakdown, with viscous effects becoming more important downstream of the breakdown location. The effect of cavity flaps on the flow over a delta wing was documented for steady angles of attack in the range 28 degrees to 42 degrees by flow visualization and surface pressure measurements at a Reynolds number of 470,000 and 1,000,000, respectfully. It was found that the cavity flaps postpone the occurrence of vortex breakdown to higher angles of attack than can be realized by the basic delta wing. The effect of continuously deployed cavity flaps during a dynamic pitch-up maneuver of a delta wing on the surface pressure distribution were recorded for a reduced frequency of 0.0089 and a Reynolds number of 1,300,000. The effect of deploying a set of cavity flaps <u>during</u> a dynamic pitch-up maneuver on the surface pressure distribution was recorded for a reduced frequency of 0.0089 and a Reynolds number of 1,300,000 and 187,000. The active deployment of the cavity flaps was shown to have a short-lived beneficial effect on the surface pressure distribution. The effect on the surface pressure distribution of the varying the reduced frequency at constant Reynolds number for a plain delta wing was documented in the reduced frequency range of 0.0089 to 0.0267. The effect of the active deployment of an apex flap <u>during</u> a pitch-up maneuver on the surface pressure distribution at Reynolds numbers of 532,000, 1,000,000, and 1,390,000 were documented with reduced frequencies of 0.0053 to 0.0114 with flap deployment locations in the range of 21° to 36° . The apex flap deployment was found to have a beneficial effect on the surface pressure distribution during the maneuver and in the post-stall regime after the maneuver is completed. / Ph. D.

No description available.

This thesis deals with Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)simulations of the flow around delta wings at high angles ofattack. These triangular wings, mainly used in militaryaircraft designs, experience the formation of two vortices ontheir lee-side at large angles of attack. The simulation ofthis vortical flow by solving the Navier-Stokes equations isthe subject of this thesis. The purpose of the work is toimprove the understanding of this flow and contribute to thedesign of such a wing by developing methods that enable moreaccurate and efficient CFD simulations. Simulations of the formation, burst and disappearance of thevortices while the angle of attack is changing are presented.The structured flow solver NSMB has been used to get thetime-dependent solutions of the flow. Both viscous and inviscidresults of a 70°-swept delta wing pitching in anoscillatory motion are reported. The creation of the dynamiclift and the hysteresis observed in the history of theaerodynamic forces are well reproduced. The second part of the thesis is focusing on automatic meshrefinement and its influence on simulations of the delta wingleading-edge vortices. All the simulations to assess the gridquality are inviscid computations performed with theunstructured flow solver EDGE. A first study reports on theeffects of refining thewake of the delta wing. A70°-swept delta wing at a Mach number of 0.2 and an angleof attack of 27° where vortex breakdown is present abovethe wing, is used as testcase. The results show a strongdependence on the refinement, particularly the vortex breakdownposition, which leads to the conclusion that the wake should berefined at least partly. Using this information, a grid for thewing in the wind tunnel is created in order to assess theinfluence of the tunnel walls. Three sensors for automatic meshrefinement of vortical flows are presented. Two are based onflow variables (production of entropy and ratio of totalpressures) while the third one requires an eigenvalue analysisof the tensor of the velocity gradients in order to capture theposition of the vortices in the flow. These three vortexsensors are successfully used for the simulation of the same70° delta wing at an angle of attack of 20°. Acomparison of the sensors reveals the more local property ofthe third one based on the eigenvalue analysis. This lattertechnique is applied to the simulation of the wake of a deltawing at an angle of attack of 20°. The simulations on ahighly refined mesh show that the vortex sheet shed from thetrailing-edge rolls up into a vortex that interacts with theleading-edge vortex. Finally the vortex-detection technique isused to refine the grid around a Saab Aerosystems UnmannedCombat Air Vehicle (UCAV) configuration and its flight dynamicscharacteristics are investigated. Key words:delta wing, high angle of attack, vortex,pitching, mesh refinement, UCAV, vortex sensor, tensor ofvelocity gradients.