Thesis (M. A.)--University of Hong Kong, 2005. / Title proper from title frame. Also available in printed format.

Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of Queensland, 2003. / Includes bibliography.

A solution to the current problem of wind tunnel wall interference could be achieved by ventilating the test section and thereby controlling the flow pattern around the model. The motivation for the slotted wall test section arises from the fact that a fully open jet and a fully closed jet introduce corrections of opposite sign to the wind tunnel data. This current work is limited to axisymmetric wind tunnels and solid blockage corrections. Such a tolerant axisymmetric wind tunnel (TAWT), which does not need any correction to the measured flow quantities and which is also independent of the test model shape and size would find wide application in the field of industrial aerodynamics. A numerical model based on a surface singularity potential flow method showed that at 70% OAR (open area ratio) for models of size up to 25% blockage and for three different shapes the tunnel design would yield results (coefficient of pressure) with less than 2% error while such models might need up to 75% data correction if tested in a solid wall wind tunnel. Experiments indicated good agreement with the numerical investigation and at 60% OAR the TAWT gave results close to free air results for all the models tested (up to 25% blockage). / Applied Science, Faculty of / Mechanical Engineering, Department of / Graduate

No description available.

The measurement of wind tunnel flow quality for the transonic flow regime has been plagued by the inability to interpret complex unsteady flow field information obtained in the free stream. Traditionally hot wire anemometry and fluctuating pressure techniques have been used to quantify the unsteady characteristics of a wind tunnel. This research focuses on the application of these devices to the transonic flow regime. Utilizing hot wire anemometry, one can decompose the unsteady flow field with a three sensor technique, to obtain fluctuations associated with the velocity, density, and total temperature. Implementing thermodynamic and kinematic equations, new methods for expanding the measured velocity, density, and total temperature fluctuations to obtain additional fluctuations are investigated. The derived static pressure fluctuations are compared to the static pressure fluctuations obtained with a conventional fluctuating static pressure probe. The results of this comparison are good, which implies that the individual velocity, density, and total temperature components are time accurate. In the process of obtaining a high quality fluctuating flow field information, it was necessary to evaluate the calibration of the hot wire sensors. A direct calibration approach was compared to a conventional non-dimensional technique. These two calibration techniques should have resulted in the same hot wire sensitivities. There were significant differences in the hot wire sensitivities as obtained from the two approaches. The direct approach was determined to have less errors due to the added heat transfer information required of the indirect approach. Both calibration techniques demonstrated that the velocity and density sensitivities were in general not equal. This suggests that the velocity and density information cannot be combined to form a mass flow. A comparison of several hot wire techniques was included to highlight the errors obtained when assuming that these sensitivities are the same. An evaluation of the free stream flow quality associated with a Laminar Flow Control experiment was carried out in the Langley Research Center 8-Foot Transonic Pressure Tunnel (8' TPT). The facility was modified with turbulence manipulators and a liner that provided a flow field around a yawed super-critical airfoil that is conducive to transition research. These devices are evaluated to determine the sources of disturbances associated with the LFC experiment. / Ph. D.

With the advent of the large diameter tunnel boring machine (TBM), mechanically driven large diameter tunnel is becoming a more attractive option. During operation, a large diameter tube allows for stacked deck configuration with shafts dropped to platform level (no station caverns). The extensive information has been compiled on innovative TBM tunneling projects such as the Barcelona Line 9, where the concept of continuous station has been used for the first time, stormwater management and roadway tunnel in Malaysia, where the floodwater bypass tunnel and the road tunnel are incorporated in a single bore tunnel. The decision making process that led to the construction of large bore tunnel is also presented. A detailed study has been carried out to determine the necessary face support pressure in drained conditions (with ideal membrane), and undrained conditions. The effects of tunnel diameter, cover-to-diameter ratio, at-rest lateral earth pressure coefficient, and soil shear strength parameters on the local and global stability of the excavation face of mechanically-driven tunnels have been investigated. The relation between the face support pressure and the calculated tunnel face displacement gave the minimum face support pressure that should be applied on the tunnel face to avoid abrupt movement of the tunnel face. Simple expressions have been developed for the support pressure as a function of tunnel diameter, cover depth, lateral earth pressure coefficient, and soil strength parameters. The required face support pressures are compared to the analytical solutions available from the literature. It has been found that analytical stability solutions generally underestimate the required face support pressure and excessive deformation will take place in the ground near the tunnel heading when these solutions are used. By using plastic limit analysis, a rigid and deformable prism-and-wedge model has been developed; in undrained conditions, upper bound solutions against collapse load are derived for face pressure. Deformable blocks enabled to take into account the effect of non-uniform support pressure due to the unit weight of the supporting medium. The upper bound solution derived as a function of tunnel diameter and cover depth, normalized undrained shear strength ratio, and unit weight of the ground and the supporting medium was compared with a solution available from the literature. Largest face support pressure was obtained when the uniform face support pressure was applied and it was smallest when identical unit weight was used for the ground and the supporting medium. / text

Thesis (M.B.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1996. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 177-178).

No description available.

Approved for public release, distribution unlimited / Flow around second-generation controlled-diffusion blades in cascade at stall was investigated using fivehole probe surveys. Wake pressure surveys were conducted at various locations between the cascade centerline and endwall region. Corresponding inlet pressure surveys were also performed to allow the total pressure loss distribution to be calculated across the blades. A fully automated traverse mechanism was implemented for the probe surveys ahead of and aft of the cascade blades. The number of wake surveys conducted allowed the pressure distribution profiles to show pressure deficiencies at the endwall region in greater detail than previous studies.

Approved for public release, distribution unlimited / The Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) Micro-Air Vehicle (MAV) wind tunnel was refurbished in this study. This wind tunnel has a 61 by 38 centimeter test section with a contraction ratio of 6.75, and testing speeds up to 9 meters per second (m/s). The objectives of this work were to create a high quality, customized facility for further MAV study, and to fully characterize the wake of the MAV at a plane downstream of the model. Extensive repairs were made to the wind tunnel intake, test section, and fan. The flow field produced in the tunnel was analyzed with hot wire anemometry. The turbulence intensity ranged from .7% to .5% for freestream velocities of 2 m/s to 5 m/s. The velocity variation across the test section ranged from .251% to .125%. A model of the NPS MAV was placed in the test section and the wake was studied with and without the main wing, and in vertical and horizontal orientations. The wake was characterized with hot wire anemometry and flow visualization techniques at various flapping frequencies and freestream velocities. / US Navy (USN) author.