Transport Mechanisms Governing initial Leading-Edge Vortex Development on a Pitching Wing

Science.gov (United States)

Wabick, Kevin; Berdon, Randall; Buchholz, James; Johnson, Kyle; Thurow, Brian

2017-11-01

The formation and evolution of Leading Edge Vortices (LEVs) are ubiquitous in natural fliers and maneuvering wings, and have a profound impact on aerodynamic loads. The formation of an LEV is experimentally investigated on a pitching flat-plate wing of aspect-ratio 2, and dimensionless pitch rates of k = Ωc / 2 U of 0.1, 0.2, and 0.5, at a Reynolds number of 104. The sources and sinks of vorticity that contribute to the growth and evolution of the LEV are investigated at spanwise regions of interest, and their relative balance is compared to other wing kinematics, and the case of a two-dimensional pitching wing. This work is supported by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (Grant Number FA9550-16-1-0107, Dr. Douglas Smith, program manager).

Design & fabrication of two seated aircraft with an advanced rotating leading edge wing

Science.gov (United States)

Al Ahmari, Saeed Abdullah Saeed

The title of this thesis is "Design & Fabrication of two Seated Aircraft with an Advanced Rotating Leading Edge Wing", this gives almost a good description of the work has been done. In this research, the moving surface boundary-layer control (MSBC) concept was investigated and implemented. An experimental model was constructed and tested in wind tunnel to determine the aerodynamic characteristics using the leading edge moving surface of modified semi-symmetric airfoil NACA1214. The moving surface is provided by a high speed rotating cylinder, which replaces the leading edge of the airfoil. The angle of attack, the cylinder surfaces velocity ratio Uc/U, and the flap deflection angle effects on the lift and drag coefficients and the stall angle of attack were investigated. This new technology was applied to a 2-seat light-sport aircraft that is designed and built in the Aerospace Engineering Department at KFUPM. The project team is led by the aerospace department chairman Dr. Ahmed Z. AL-Garni and Dr. Wael G. Abdelrahman and includes graduate and under graduate student. The wing was modified to include a rotating cylinder along the leading edge of the flap portion. This produced very promising results such as the increase of the maximum lift coefficient at Uc/U=3 by 82% when flaps up and 111% when flaps down at 40° and stall was delayed by 8degrees in both cases. The laboratory results also showed that the effective range of the leading-edge rotating cylinder is at low angles of attack which reduce the need for higher angles of attack for STOL aircraft.

AMELIA CESTOL Test: Acoustic Characteristics of Circulation Control Wing with Leading- and Trailing-Edge Slot Blowing

Science.gov (United States)

Horne, William C.; Burnside, Nathan J.

2013-01-01

The AMELIA Cruise-Efficient Short Take-off and Landing (CESTOL) configuration concept was developed to meet future requirements of reduced field length, noise, and fuel burn by researchers at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and Georgia Tech Research Institute under sponsorship by the NASA Fundamental Aeronautics Program (FAP), Subsonic Fixed Wing Project. The novel configuration includes leading- and trailing-edge circulation control wing (CCW), over-wing podded turbine propulsion simulation (TPS). Extensive aerodynamic measurements of forces, surfaces pressures, and wing surface skin friction measurements were recently measured over a wide range of test conditions in the Arnold Engineering Development Center(AEDC) National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Complex (NFAC) 40- by 80-Ft Wind Tunnel. Acoustic measurements of the model were also acquired for each configuration with 7 fixed microphones on a line under the left wing, and with a 48-element, 40-inch diameter phased microphone array under the right wing. This presentation will discuss acoustic characteristics of the CCW system for a variety of tunnel speeds (0 to 120 kts), model configurations (leading edge(LE) and/or trailing-edge(TE) slot blowing, and orientations (incidence and yaw) based on acoustic measurements acquired concurrently with the aerodynamic measurements. The flow coefficient, Cmu= mVSLOT/qSW varied from 0 to 0.88 at 40 kts, and from 0 to 0.15 at 120 kts. Here m is the slot mass flow rate, VSLOT is the slot exit velocity, q is dynamic pressure, and SW is wing surface area. Directivities at selected 1/3 octave bands will be compared with comparable measurements of a 2-D wing at GTRI, as will as microphone array near-field measurements of the right wing at maximum flow rate. The presentation will include discussion of acoustic sensor calibrations as well as characterization of the wind tunnel background noise environment.

Fracture Mechanics Analyses of the Slip-Side Joggle Regions of Wing-Leading Edge Panels

Science.gov (United States)

Raju, Ivatury S.; Knight, Norman F., Jr.; Song, Kyongchan; Phillips, Dawn R.

2010-01-01

The Space Shuttle Orbiter wing comprises of 22 leading edge panels on each side of the wing. These panels are part of the thermal protection system that protects the Orbiter wings from extreme heating that take place on the reentry in to the earth atmosphere. On some panels that experience extreme heating, liberation of silicon carbon (SiC) coating was observed on the slip side regions of the panels. Global structural and local fracture mechanics analyses were performed on these panels as a part of the root cause investigation of this coating liberation anomaly. The wing-leading-edge reinforced carbon-carbon (RCC) panels, Panel 9, T-seal 10, and Panel 10, are shown in Figure 1 and the progression of the stress analysis models is presented in Figure 2. The global structural analyses showed minimal interaction between adjacent panels and the T-seal that bridges the gap between the panels. A bounding uniform temperature is applied to a representative panel and the resulting stress distribution is examined. For this loading condition, the interlaminar normal stresses showed negligible variation in the chord direction and increased values in the vicinity of the slip-side joggle shoulder. As such, a representative span wise slice on the panel can be taken and the cross section can be analyzed using plane strain analysis.

Space Shuttle Orbiter Wing-Leading-Edge Panel Thermo-Mechanical Analysis for Entry Conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Knight, Norman F., Jr.; Song, Kyongchan; Raju, Ivatury S.

2010-01-01

Linear elastic, thermo-mechanical stress analyses of the Space Shuttle Orbiter wing-leading-edge panels is presented for entry heating conditions. The wing-leading-edge panels are made from reinforced carbon-carbon and serve as a part of the overall thermal protection system. Three-dimensional finite element models are described for three configurations: integrated configuration, an independent single-panel configuration, and a local lower-apex joggle segment. Entry temperature conditions are imposed and the through-the-thickness response is examined. From the integrated model, it was concluded that individual panels can be analyzed independently since minimal interaction between adjacent components occurred. From the independent single-panel model, it was concluded that increased through-the-thickness stress levels developed all along the chord of a panel s slip-side joggle region, and hence isolated local joggle sections will exhibit the same trend. From the local joggle models, it was concluded that two-dimensional plane-strain models can be used to study the influence of subsurface defects along the slip-side joggle region of these panels.

A Survey of Factors Affecting Blunt Leading-Edge Separation for Swept and Semi-Slender Wings

Science.gov (United States)

Luckring, James M.

2010-01-01

A survey is presented of factors affecting blunt leading-edge separation for swept and semi-slender wings. This class of separation often results in the onset and progression of separation-induced vortical flow over a slender or semi-slender wing. The term semi-slender is used to distinguish wings with moderate sweeps and aspect ratios from the more traditional highly-swept, low-aspect-ratio slender wing. Emphasis is divided between a selection of results obtained through literature survey a section of results from some recent research projects primarily being coordinated through NATO s Research and Technology Organization (RTO). An aircraft context to these studies is included.

Leading-Edge Vortex lifts swifts

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Videler, JJ; Stamhuis, EJ; Povel, GDE

2004-01-01

The current understanding of how birds fly must be revised, because birds use their hand-wings in an unconventional way to generate lift and drag. Physical models of a common swift wing in gliding posture with a 60degrees sweep of the sharp hand-wing leading edge were tested in a water tunnel.

Mass and performance optimization of an airplane wing leading edge structure against bird strike using Taguchi-based grey relational analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hassan Pahange

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Collisions between birds and aircraft are one of the most dangerous threats to flight safety. In this study, smoothed particles hydrodynamics (SPH method is used for simulating the bird strike to an airplane wing leading edge structure. In order to verify the model, first, experiment of bird strike to a flat aluminum plate is simulated, and then bird impact on an airplane wing leading edge structure is investigated. After that, considering dimensions of wing internal structural components like ribs, skin and spar as design variables, we try to minimize structural mass and wing skin deformation simultaneously. To do this, bird strike simulations to 18 different wing structures are made based on Taguchi’s L18 factorial design of experiment. Then grey relational analysis is used to minimize structural mass and wing skin deformation due to the bird strike. The analysis of variance (ANOVA is also applied and it is concluded that the most significant parameter for the performance of wing structure against impact is the skin thickness. Finally, a validation simulation is conducted under the optimal condition to show the improvement of performance of the wing structure.

Flight test operations using an F-106B research airplane modified with a wing leading-edge vortex flap

Science.gov (United States)

Dicarlo, Daniel J.; Brown, Philip W.; Hallissy, James B.

1992-01-01

Flight tests of an F-106B aircraft equipped with a leading-edge vortex flap, which represented the culmination of a research effort to examine the effectiveness of the flap, were conducted at the NASA Langley Research Center. The purpose of the flight tests was to establish a data base on the use of a wing leading-edge vortex flap as a means to validate the design and analysis methods associated with the development of such a vortical flow-control concept. The overall experiment included: refinements of the design codes for vortex flaps; numerous wind tunnel entries to aid in verifying design codes and determining basic aerodynamic characteristics; design and fabrication of the flaps, structural modifications to the wing tip and leading edges of the test aircraft; development and installation of an aircraft research instrumentation system, including wing and flap surface pressure measurements and selected structural loads measurements; ground-based simulation to assess flying qualities; and finally, flight testing. This paper reviews the operational aspects associated with the flight experiment, which includes a description of modifications to the research airplane, the overall flight test procedures, and problems encountered. Selected research results are also presented to illustrate the accomplishments of the research effort.

Insect Residue Contamination on Wing Leading Edge Surfaces: A Materials Investigation for Mitigation

Science.gov (United States)

Lorenzi, Tyler M.; Wohl, Christopher J.; Penner, Ronald K.; Smith, Joseph G.; Siochi, Emilie J.

2011-01-01

Flight tests have shown that residue from insect strikes on aircraft wing leading edge surfaces may induce localized transition of laminar to turbulent flow. The highest density of insect populations have been observed between ground level and 153 m during light winds (2.6 -- 5.1 m/s), high humidity, and temperatures from 21 -- 29 C. At a critical residue height, dependent on the airfoil and Reynolds number, boundary layer transition from laminar to turbulent results in increased drag and fuel consumption. Although this represents a minimal increase in fuel burn for conventional transport aircraft, future aircraft designs will rely on maintaining laminar flow across a larger portion of wing surfaces to reduce fuel burn during cruise. Thus, insect residue adhesion mitigation is most critical during takeoff and initial climb to maintain laminar flow in fuel-efficient aircraft configurations. Several exterior treatments investigated to mitigate insect residue buildup (e.g., paper, scrapers, surfactants, flexible surfaces) have shown potential; however, implementation has proven to be impractical. Current research is focused on evaluation of wing leading edge surface coatings that may reduce insect residue adhesion. Initial work under NASA's Environmentally Responsible Aviation Program focused on evaluation of several commercially available products (commercial off-the-shelf, COTS), polymers, and substituted alkoxy silanes that were applied to aluminum (Al) substrates. Surface energies of these coatings were determined from contact angle data and were correlated to residual insect excrescence on coated aluminum substrates using a custom-built "bug gun." Quantification of insect excrescence surface coverage was evaluated by a series of digital photographic image processing techniques.

Experimental Surface Pressure Data Obtained on 65 deg Delta Wing Across Reynolds Number and Mach Number Ranges. Volume 2; Small-Radius Leading Edge

Science.gov (United States)

Chu, Julio; Luckring, James M.

1996-01-01

An experimental wind tunnel test of a 65 deg. delta wing model with interchangeable leading edges was conducted in the Langley National Transonic Facility (NTF). The objective was to investigate the effects of Reynolds and Mach numbers on slender-wing leading-edge vortex flows with four values of wing leading-edge bluntness. Experimentally obtained pressure data are presented without analysis in tabulated and graphical formats across a Reynolds number range of 6 x 10(exp 6) to 84 x 10(exp 6) at a Mach number of 0.85 and across a Mach number range of 0.4 to 0.9 at Reynolds numbers of 6 x 10(exp 6) and 60 x 10(exp 6). Normal-force and pitching-moment coefficient plots for these Reynolds number and Mach number ranges are also presented.

Aerodynamic forces and flow structures of the leading edge vortex on a flapping wing considering ground effect

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Truong, Tien Van; Yoon, Kwang Joon; Byun, Doyoung; Kim, Min Jun; Park, Hoon Cheol

2013-01-01

The aim of this work is to provide an insight into the aerodynamic performance of the beetle during takeoff, which has been estimated in previous investigations. We employed a scaled-up electromechanical model flapping wing to measure the aerodynamic forces and the three-dimensional flow structures on the flapping wing. The ground effect on the unsteady forces and flow structures were also characterized. The dynamically scaled wing model could replicate the general stroke pattern of the beetle's hind wing kinematics during takeoff flight. Two wing kinematic models have been studied to examine the influences of wing kinematics on unsteady aerodynamic forces. In the first model, the angle of attack is asymmetric and varies during the translational motion, which is the flapping motion of the beetle's hind wing. In the second model, the angle of attack is constant during the translational motion. The instantaneous aerodynamic forces were measured for four strokes during the beetle's takeoff by the force sensor attached at the wing base. Flow visualization provided a general picture of the evolution of the three-dimensional leading edge vortex (LEV) on the beetle hind wing model. The LEV is stable during each stroke, and increases radically from the root to the tip, forming a leading-edge spiral vortex. The force measurement results show that the vertical force generated by the hind wing is large enough to lift the beetle. For the beetle hind wing kinematics, the total vertical force production increases 18.4% and 8.6% for the first and second strokes, respectively, due to the ground effect. However, for the model with a constant angle of attack during translation, the vertical force is reduced during the first stroke. During the third and fourth strokes, the ground effect is negligible for both wing kinematic patterns. This finding suggests that the beetle's flapping mechanism induces a ground effect that can efficiently lift its body from the ground during takeoff

Generation of Fullspan Leading-Edge 3D Ice Shapes for Swept-Wing Aerodynamic Testing

Science.gov (United States)

Camello, Stephanie C.; Lee, Sam; Lum, Christopher; Bragg, Michael B.

2016-01-01

The deleterious effect of ice accretion on aircraft is often assessed through dry-air flight and wind tunnel testing with artificial ice shapes. This paper describes a method to create fullspan swept-wing artificial ice shapes from partial span ice segments acquired in the NASA Glenn Icing Reserch Tunnel for aerodynamic wind-tunnel testing. Full-scale ice accretion segments were laser scanned from the Inboard, Midspan, and Outboard wing station models of the 65% scale Common Research Model (CRM65) aircraft configuration. These were interpolated and extrapolated using a weighted averaging method to generate fullspan ice shapes from the root to the tip of the CRM65 wing. The results showed that this interpolation method was able to preserve many of the highly three dimensional features typically found on swept-wing ice accretions. The interpolated fullspan ice shapes were then scaled to fit the leading edge of a 8.9% scale version of the CRM65 wing for aerodynamic wind-tunnel testing. Reduced fidelity versions of the fullspan ice shapes were also created where most of the local three-dimensional features were removed. The fullspan artificial ice shapes and the reduced fidelity versions were manufactured using stereolithography.

AERO2S - SUBSONIC AERODYNAMIC ANALYSIS OF WINGS WITH LEADING- AND TRAILING-EDGE FLAPS IN COMBINATION WITH CANARD OR HORIZONTAL TAIL SURFACES (CDC VERSION)

Science.gov (United States)

Darden, C. M.

1994-01-01

This code was developed to aid design engineers in the selection and evaluation of aerodynamically efficient wing-canard and wing-horizontal-tail configurations that may employ simple hinged-flap systems. Rapid estimates of the longitudinal aerodynamic characteristics of conceptual airplane lifting surface arrangements are provided. The method is particularly well suited to configurations which, because of high speed flight requirements, must employ thin wings with highly swept leading edges. The code is applicable to wings with either sharp or rounded leading edges. The code provides theoretical pressure distributions over the wing, the canard or horizontal tail, and the deflected flap surfaces as well as estimates of the wing lift, drag, and pitching moments which account for attainable leading edge thrust and leading edge separation vortex forces. The wing planform information is specified by a series of leading edge and trailing edge breakpoints for a right hand wing panel. Up to 21 pairs of coordinates may be used to describe both the leading edge and the trailing edge. The code has been written to accommodate 2000 right hand panel elements, but can easily be modified to accommodate a larger or smaller number of elements depending on the capacity of the target computer platform. The code provides solutions for wing surfaces composed of all possible combinations of leading edge and trailing edge flap settings provided by the original deflection multipliers and by the flap deflection multipliers. Up to 25 pairs of leading edge and trailing edge flap deflection schedules may thus be treated simultaneously. The code also provides for an improved accounting of hinge-line singularities in determination of wing forces and moments. To determine lifting surface perturbation velocity distributions, the code provides for a maximum of 70 iterations. The program is constructed so that successive runs may be made with a given code entry. To make additional runs, it is

Analytical model and stability analysis of the leading edge spar of a passively morphing ornithopter wing.

Science.gov (United States)

Wissa, Aimy; Calogero, Joseph; Wereley, Norman; Hubbard, James E; Frecker, Mary

2015-10-26

This paper presents the stability analysis of the leading edge spar of a flapping wing unmanned air vehicle with a compliant spine inserted in it. The compliant spine is a mechanism that was designed to be flexible during the upstroke and stiff during the downstroke. Inserting a variable stiffness mechanism into the leading edge spar affects its structural stability. The model for the spar-spine system was formulated in terms of the well-known Mathieu's equation, in which the compliant spine was modeled as a torsional spring with a sinusoidal stiffness function. Experimental data was used to validate the model and results show agreement within 11%. The structural stability of the leading edge spar-spine system was determined analytically and graphically using a phase plane plot and Strutt diagrams. Lastly, a torsional viscous damper was added to the leading edge spar-spine model to investigate the effect of damping on stability. Results show that for the un-damped case, the leading edge spar-spine response was stable and bounded; however, there were areas of instability that appear for a range of spine upstroke and downstroke stiffnesses. Results also show that there exist a damping ratio between 0.2 and 0.5, for which the leading edge spar-spine system was stable for all values of spine upstroke and downstroke stiffnesses.

Fracture Mechanics Analyses of the Slip-Side Joggle Regions of Wing-Leading-Edge Panels

Science.gov (United States)

Raju, Ivatury S.; Knight, Norman F., Jr.; Song, Kyongchan; Phillips, Dawn R.

2011-01-01

The Space Shuttle wing-leading edge consists of panels that are made of reinforced carbon-carbon. Coating spallation was observed near the slip-side region of the panels that experience extreme heating. To understand this phenomenon, a root-cause investigation was conducted. As part of that investigation, fracture mechanics analyses of the slip-side joggle regions of the hot panels were conducted. This paper presents an overview of the fracture mechanics analyses.

IMPROVING THE AERODYNAMICS OF A TRANSPORT AIRCRAFT WING USING A DELTA PLANFORM WINGTIP LEADING EDGE EXTENSION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. Gueraiche

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The article explores the possibility of improving the aerodynamic properties of a supercritical-airfoil wing, typical for a modern passenger aircraft, using delta planform passive devices of large relative areas, installed along the leading edge at the wing tip. Delta extensions of various configurations were considered to be used as wingtip devices, potentially improving or completely replacing classical R. Whitcomb winglets. As a result of two- and three-dimensional CFD simulations performed on DLR-F4 wing-body prototype, the potential advantage of these devices was confirmed, particularly when they are installed in a combination with an elliptical planform, largely swept, raked winglet in terms of reducing the induced drag and increasing the aerodynamic lift-to-drag ratio at flight angles of attack. The growth in lift-to-drag ratio applying these devices owes it solely to the drop in drag, without increasing the lift force acting on the wing. In comparison to the classical winglets that lead to a general increase in lifting and lateral forces acting on the wing structure, resulting in a weight penalty, the Wingtip Ledge Edge Triangular Extension (WLETE yields the same L/D ratio increase, but with a much smaller increase in the wing loading. A study has been made of the characteristics of the local (modified airfoil in the WLETE zone in a two-dimensional flow context, and a quantitative analysis has been conducted of the influence of WLETE on both the profile and induced drag components, as well as its influence on the overall lift coefficient of the wing. The resulted synthesis of the WLETE influence on the wing L/D ratio will consist of its influence on each of these components. A comparison of the efficiency of using delta extensions against classical winglets was carried out in a multidisciplinary way, where in addition to the changes in aerodynamic coefficients of lift and drag, the increments of magnitude and distribution of the loads

AERO2S - SUBSONIC AERODYNAMIC ANALYSIS OF WINGS WITH LEADING- AND TRAILING-EDGE FLAPS IN COMBINATION WITH CANARD OR HORIZONTAL TAIL SURFACES (IBM PC VERSION)

Science.gov (United States)

Carlson, H. W.

1994-01-01

This code was developed to aid design engineers in the selection and evaluation of aerodynamically efficient wing-canard and wing-horizontal-tail configurations that may employ simple hinged-flap systems. Rapid estimates of the longitudinal aerodynamic characteristics of conceptual airplane lifting surface arrangements are provided. The method is particularly well suited to configurations which, because of high speed flight requirements, must employ thin wings with highly swept leading edges. The code is applicable to wings with either sharp or rounded leading edges. The code provides theoretical pressure distributions over the wing, the canard or horizontal tail, and the deflected flap surfaces as well as estimates of the wing lift, drag, and pitching moments which account for attainable leading edge thrust and leading edge separation vortex forces. The wing planform information is specified by a series of leading edge and trailing edge breakpoints for a right hand wing panel. Up to 21 pairs of coordinates may be used to describe both the leading edge and the trailing edge. The code has been written to accommodate 2000 right hand panel elements, but can easily be modified to accommodate a larger or smaller number of elements depending on the capacity of the target computer platform. The code provides solutions for wing surfaces composed of all possible combinations of leading edge and trailing edge flap settings provided by the original deflection multipliers and by the flap deflection multipliers. Up to 25 pairs of leading edge and trailing edge flap deflection schedules may thus be treated simultaneously. The code also provides for an improved accounting of hinge-line singularities in determination of wing forces and moments. To determine lifting surface perturbation velocity distributions, the code provides for a maximum of 70 iterations. The program is constructed so that successive runs may be made with a given code entry. To make additional runs, it is

The effect of aspect ratio on the leading-edge vortex over an insect-like flapping wing.

Science.gov (United States)

Phillips, Nathan; Knowles, Kevin; Bomphrey, Richard J

2015-10-09

Insect wing shapes are diverse and a renowned source of inspiration for the new generation of autonomous flapping vehicles, yet the aerodynamic consequences of varying geometry is not well understood. One of the most defining and aerodynamically significant measures of wing shape is the aspect ratio, defined as the ratio of wing length (R) to mean wing chord (c). We investigated the impact of aspect ratio, AR, on the induced flow field around a flapping wing using a robotic device. Rigid rectangular wings ranging from AR = 1.5 to 7.5 were flapped with insect-like kinematics in air with a constant Reynolds number (Re) of 1400, and a dimensionless stroke amplitude of 6.5c (number of chords traversed by the wingtip). Pseudo-volumetric, ensemble-averaged, flow fields around the wings were captured using particle image velocimetry at 11 instances throughout simulated downstrokes. Results confirmed the presence of a high-lift, separated flow field with a leading-edge vortex (LEV), and revealed that the conical, primary LEV grows in size and strength with increasing AR. In each case, the LEV had an arch-shaped axis with its outboard end originating from a focus-sink singularity on the wing surface near the tip. LEV detachment was observed for AR > 1.5 around mid-stroke at ~70% span, and initiated sooner over higher aspect ratio wings. At AR > 3 the larger, stronger vortex persisted under the wing surface well into the next half-stroke leading to a reduction in lift. Circulatory lift attributable to the LEV increased with AR up to AR = 6. Higher aspect ratios generated proportionally less lift distally because of LEV breakdown, and also less lift closer to the wing root due to the previous LEV's continuing presence under the wing. In nature, insect wings go no higher than AR ~ 5, likely in part due to architectural and physiological constraints but also because of the reducing aerodynamic benefits of high AR wings.

Wing Leading Edge RCC Rapid Response Damage Prediction Tool (IMPACT2)

Science.gov (United States)

Clark, Robert; Cottter, Paul; Michalopoulos, Constantine

2013-01-01

This rapid response computer program predicts Orbiter Wing Leading Edge (WLE) damage caused by ice or foam impact during a Space Shuttle launch (Program "IMPACT2"). The program was developed after the Columbia accident in order to assess quickly WLE damage due to ice, foam, or metal impact (if any) during a Shuttle launch. IMPACT2 simulates an impact event in a few minutes for foam impactors, and in seconds for ice and metal impactors. The damage criterion is derived from results obtained from one sophisticated commercial program, which requires hours to carry out simulations of the same impact events. The program was designed to run much faster than the commercial program with prediction of projectile threshold velocities within 10 to 15% of commercial-program values. The mathematical model involves coupling of Orbiter wing normal modes of vibration to nonlinear or linear springmass models. IMPACT2 solves nonlinear or linear impact problems using classical normal modes of vibration of a target, and nonlinear/ linear time-domain equations for the projectile. Impact loads and stresses developed in the target are computed as functions of time. This model is novel because of its speed of execution. A typical model of foam, or other projectile characterized by material nonlinearities, impacting an RCC panel is executed in minutes instead of hours needed by the commercial programs. Target damage due to impact can be assessed quickly, provided that target vibration modes and allowable stress are known.

The role of the leading edge vortex in lift augmentation of steadily revolving wings: a change in perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Nabawy, Mostafa R A; Crowther, William J

2017-07-01

The presence of a stable leading edge vortex (LEV) on steadily revolving wings increases the maximum lift coefficient that can be generated from the wing and its role is important to understanding natural flyers and flapping wing vehicles. In this paper, the role of LEV in lift augmentation is discussed under two hypotheses referred to as 'additional lift' and 'absence of stall'. The 'additional lift' hypothesis represents the traditional view. It presumes that an additional suction/circulation from the LEV increases the lift above that of a potential flow solution. This behaviour may be represented through either the 'Polhamus leading edge suction' model or the so-called 'trapped vortex' model. The 'absence of stall' hypothesis is a more recent contender that presumes that the LEV prevents stall at high angles of attack where flow separation would normally occur. This behaviour is represented through the so-called 'normal force' model. We show that all three models can be written in the form of the same potential flow kernel with modifiers to account for the presence of a LEV. The modelling is built on previous work on quasi-steady models for hovering wings such that model parameters are determined from first principles, which allows a fair comparison between the models themselves, and the models and experimental data. We show that the two models which directly include the LEV as a lift generating component are built on a physical picture that does not represent the available experimental data. The simpler 'normal force' model, which does not explicitly model the LEV, performs best against data in the literature. We conclude that under steady conditions the LEV as an 'absence of stall' model/mechanism is the most satisfying explanation for observed aerodynamic behaviour. © 2017 The Author(s).

Method for a Leading Edge Slat on a Wing of an Aircraft

Science.gov (United States)

Pitt, Dale M. (Inventor); Eckstein, Nicholas Stephen (Inventor)

2016-01-01

A method for managing a flight control surface system. A leading edge device is moved on a leading edge from an undeployed position to a deployed position. The leading edge device has an outer surface, an inner surface, and a deformable fairing attached to the leading edge device such that the deformable fairing covers at least a portion of the inner surface. The deformable fairing changes from a deformed shape to an original shape when the leading edge device is moved to the deployed position. The leading edge device is then moved from the deployed position to the undeployed position, wherein the deformable fairing changes from the original shape to the deformed shape.

Fracture Mechanics Analyses of Reinforced Carbon-Carbon Wing-Leading-Edge Panels

Science.gov (United States)

Raju, Ivatury S.; Phillips, Dawn R.; Knight, Norman F., Jr.; Song, Kyongchan

2010-01-01

Fracture mechanics analyses of subsurface defects within the joggle regions of the Space Shuttle wing-leading-edge RCC panels are performed. A 2D plane strain idealized joggle finite element model is developed to study the fracture behavior of the panels for three distinct loading conditions - lift-off and ascent, on-orbit, and entry. For lift-off and ascent, an estimated bounding aerodynamic pressure load is used for the analyses, while for on-orbit and entry, thermo-mechanical analyses are performed using the extreme cold and hot temperatures experienced by the panels. In addition, a best estimate for the material stress-free temperature is used in the thermo-mechanical analyses. In the finite element models, the substrate and coating are modeled separately as two distinct materials. Subsurface defects are introduced at the coating-substrate interface and within the substrate. The objective of the fracture mechanics analyses is to evaluate the defect driving forces, which are characterized by the strain energy release rates, and determine if defects can become unstable for each of the loading conditions.

Owl-inspired leading-edge serrations play a crucial role in aerodynamic force production and sound suppression.

Science.gov (United States)

Rao, Chen; Ikeda, Teruaki; Nakata, Toshiyuki; Liu, Hao

2017-07-04

Owls are widely known for silent flight, achieving remarkably low noise gliding and flapping flights owing to their unique wing morphologies, which are normally characterized by leading-edge serrations, trailing-edge fringes and velvet-like surfaces. How these morphological features affect aerodynamic force production and sound suppression or noise reduction, however, is still not well known. Here we address an integrated study of owl-inspired single feather wing models with and without leading-edge serrations by combining large-eddy simulations (LES) with particle-image velocimetry (PIV) and force measurements in a low-speed wind tunnel. With velocity and pressure spectra analysis, we demonstrate that leading-edge serrations can passively control the laminar-turbulent transition over the upper wing surface, i.e. the suction surface at all angles of attack (0°    15° where owl wings often reach in flight. Our results indicate that the owl-inspired leading-edge serrations may be a useful device for aero-acoustic control in biomimetic rotor designs for wind turbines, aircrafts, multi-rotor drones as well as other fluid machinery.

Turbulent Wing-Leading-Edge Correlation Assessment for the Shuttle Orbiter

Science.gov (United States)

King, Rudolph A.; Vaughan, Matthew P.

2009-01-01

This study was conducted in support of the Orbiter damage assessment activity that takes place for each Shuttle mission since STS-107 (STS - Space Transportation System). As part of the damage assessment activity, the state of boundary layer (laminar or turbulent) during reentry needs to be estimated in order to define the aerothermal environment on the Orbiter. Premature turbulence on the wing leading edge (WLE) is possible if a surface irregularity promotes early transition and the resulting turbulent wedge flow contaminates the WLE flow. The objective of this analysis is to develop a criterion to determine if and when the flow along the WLE experiences turbulent heating given an incoming turbulent boundary layer that contaminates the attachment line. The data to be analyzed were all obtained as part of the MH-13 Space Shuttle Orbiter Aerothermodynamic Test conducted on a 1.8%-scale Orbiter model at Calspan/University of Buffalo Research Center in the Large Energy National Shock Tunnels facility. A rational framework was used to develop a means to assess the state of the WLE flow on the Orbiter during reentry given a contaminated attachment-line flow. Evidence of turbulent flow on the WLE has been recently documented for a few STS missions during the Orbiter s flight history, albeit late in the reentry trajectory. The criterion developed herein will be compared to these flight results.

Forewings match the formation of leading-edge vortices and dominate aerodynamic force production in revolving insect wings.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Di; Kolomenskiy, Dmitry; Nakata, Toshiyuki; Liu, Hao

2017-10-20

In many flying insects, forewings and hindwings are coupled mechanically to achieve flapping flight synchronously while being driven by action of the forewings. How the forewings and hindwings as well as their morphologies contribute to aerodynamic force production and flight control remains unclear yet. Here we demonstrate that the forewings can produce most of the aerodynamic forces even with the hindwings removed through a computational fluid dynamic study of three revolving insect wing models, which are identical to the wing morphologies and Reynolds numbers of hawkmoth (Manduca sexta), bumblebee (Bombus ignitus) and fruitfly (Drosophila melanogaster). We find that the forewing morphologies match the formation of leading-edge vortices (LEV) and are responsible for generating sufficient lift forces at the mean angles of attack and the Reynolds numbers where the three representative insects fly. The LEV formation and pressure loading keep almost unchanged with the hindwing removed, and even lead to some improvement in power factor and aerodynamic efficiency. Moreover, our results indicate that the size and strength of the LEVs can be well quantified with introduction of a conical LEV angle, which varies remarkably with angles of attack and Reynolds numbers but within the forewing region while showing less sensitivity to the wing morphologies. This implies that the forewing morphology very likely plays a dominant role in achieving low-Reynolds number aerodynamic performance in natural flyers as well as in revolving and/or flapping micro air vehicles. © 2017 IOP Publishing Ltd.

Low-Speed Wind-Tunnel Investigation of Blowing Boundary-Layer Control on Leading- and Trailing-Edge Flaps of a Large-Scale, Low-Aspect-Ratio, 45 Swept-wing Airplane Configuration

Science.gov (United States)

Maki, Ralph L.

1959-01-01

Blowing boundary-layer control was applied to the leading- and trailing-edge flaps of a 45 deg sweptback-wing complete model in a full-scale low-speed wind-tunnel study. The principal purpose of the study was to determine the effects of leading-edge flap deflection and boundary-layer control on maximum lift and longitudinal stability. Leading-edge flap deflection alone was sufficient to maintain static longitudinal stability without trailing-edge flaps. However, leading-edge flap blowing was required to maintain longitudinal stability by delaying leading-edge flow separation when trailing-edge flaps were deflected either with or without blowing. Partial-span leading-edge flaps deflected 60 deg with moderate blowing gave the major increase in maximum lift, although higher deflection and additional blowing gave some further increase. Inboard of 0.4 semispan leading-edge flap deflection could be reduced to 40 deg and/or blowing could be omitted with only small loss in maximum lift. Trailing-edge flap lift increments were increased by boundary-layer control for deflections greater than 45 deg. Maximum lift was not increased with deflected trailing-edge flaps with blowing.

Aerodynamic robustness in owl-inspired leading-edge serrations: a computational wind-gust model.

Science.gov (United States)

Rao, Chen; Liu, Hao

2018-06-08

Owls are a master to achieve silent flight in gliding and flapping flights under natural turbulent environments owing to their unique wing morphologies. While the leading-edge serrations are recently revealed, as a passive flow control micro-device, to play a crucial role in aerodynamic force production and sound suppression [25], the characteristics of wind-gust rejection associated with leading-edge serrations remain unclear. Here we address a large-eddy simulation (LES)-based study of aerodynamic robustness in owl-inspired leading-edge serrations, which is conducted with clean and serrated wing models through mimicking wind-gusts under a longitudinal fluctuation in free-stream inflow and a lateral fluctuation in pitch angle over a broad range of angles of attack (AoAs) over 0° ≤ Φ ≤ 20°. Our results show that the leading-edge serration-based passive flow control mechanisms associated with laminar-turbulent transition work effectively under fluctuated inflow and wing pitch, indicating that the leading-edge serrations are of potential gust fluctuation rejection or robustness in aerodynamic performance. Moreover, it is revealed that the tradeoff between turbulent flow control (i.e., aero-acoustic suppression) and force production in the serrated model holds independently to the wind-gust environments: poor at lower AoAs but capable of achieving equivalent aerodynamic performance at higher AoAs > 15o compared to the clean model. Our results reveal that the owl-inspired leading-edge serrations can be a robust micro-device for aero-acoustic control coping with unsteady and complex wind environments in biomimetic rotor designs for various fluid machineries. © 2018 IOP Publishing Ltd.

Method and Apparatus for a Leading Edge Slat on a Wing of an Aircraft

Science.gov (United States)

Pitt, Dale M. (Inventor); Eckstein, Nicholas Stephen (Inventor)

2013-01-01

A method and apparatus for managing a flight control surface system. A leading edge device is moved on a leading edge from an undeployed position to a deployed position. The leading edge device has an outer surface, an inner surface, and a deformable fairing attached to the leading edge device such that the deformable fairing covers at least a portion of the inner surface. The deformable fairing changes from a deformed shape to an original shape when the leading edge device is moved to the deployed position. The leading edge device is then moved from the deployed position to the undeployed position, wherein the deformable fairing changes from the original shape to the deformed shape.

Numerical modeling of the vortex breakdown phenomenon on a delta wing with trailing-edge jet-flap

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kyriakou, Marilena; Missirlis, Dimitrios; Yakinthos, Kyros

2010-01-01

The flow development over delta wings is highly complicated since the interaction of the angle of attack with the delta-wing geometry leads to the appearance of a pair of well-organized counter-rotating leading-edge vortical structures. For relatively moderate angles of attack, these vortices remain robust and contribute to the enhancement of the overall lift performance. However, at higher angles of attack the vortices develop instabilities leading to the well-known vortex breakdown phenomenon, resulting in a deterioration of the aerodynamic properties. Thus, delaying vortex breakdown at higher angles of attack, is important and for this reason various techniques have been developed to control the breakdown mechanism. Such a technique is the use of trailing-edge jet-flaps. In the present work, an attempt to model the vortex breakdown together with its control, above a delta wing at high angles of attack, for cases with and without a trailing-edge jet-flap, is presented. To model the turbulent stresses, the low-Reynolds-number stress-omega model was used. The computational results were in good agreement with the available experimental data regarding the prediction of the onset of vortex breakdown and showed that the use of jet-flaps can lead to a significant delay of the breakdown process.

Smart wing rotation and trailing-edge vortices enable high frequency mosquito flight

Science.gov (United States)

Bomphrey, Richard J.; Nakata, Toshiyuki; Phillips, Nathan; Walker, Simon M.

2017-03-01

Mosquitoes exhibit unusual wing kinematics; their long, slender wings flap at remarkably high frequencies for their size (>800 Hz)and with lower stroke amplitudes than any other insect group. This shifts weight support away from the translation-dominated, aerodynamic mechanisms used by most insects, as well as by helicopters and aeroplanes, towards poorly understood rotational mechanisms that occur when pitching at the end of each half-stroke. Here we report free-flight mosquito wing kinematics, solve the full Navier-Stokes equations using computational fluid dynamics with overset grids, and validate our results with in vivo flow measurements. We show that, although mosquitoes use familiar separated flow patterns, much of the aerodynamic force that supports their weight is generated in a manner unlike any previously described for a flying animal. There are three key features: leading-edge vortices (a well-known mechanism that appears to be almost ubiquitous in insect flight), trailing-edge vortices caused by a form of wake capture at stroke reversal, and rotational drag. The two new elements are largely independent of the wing velocity, instead relying on rapid changes in the pitch angle (wing rotation) at the end of each half-stroke, and they are therefore relatively immune to the shallow flapping amplitude. Moreover, these mechanisms are particularly well suited to high aspect ratio mosquito wings.

Thermostructural applications of heat pipes for cooling leading edges of high-speed aerospace vehicles

Science.gov (United States)

Camarda, Charles J.; Glass, David E.

1992-01-01

Heat pipes have been considered for use on wing leading edge for over 20 years. Early concepts envisioned metal heat pipes cooling a metallic leading edge. Several superalloy/sodium heat pipes were fabricated and successfully tested for wing leading edge cooling. Results of radiant heat and aerothermal testing indicate the feasibility of using heat pipes to cool the stagnation region of shuttle-type space transportation systems. The test model withstood a total seven radiant heating tests, eight aerothermal tests, and twenty-seven supplemental radiant heating tests. Cold-wall heating rates ranged from 21 to 57 Btu/sq ft-s and maximum operating temperatures ranged from 1090 to 1520 F. Follow-on studies investigated the application of heat pipes to cool the stagnation regions of single-stage-to-orbit and advanced shuttle vehicles. Results of those studies indicate that a 'D-shaped' structural design can reduce the mass of the heat-pipe concept by over 44 percent compared to a circular heat-pipe geometry. Simple analytical models for heat-pipe startup from the frozen state (working fluid initially frozen) were adequate to approximate transient, startup, and steady-state heat-pipe performance. Improvement in analysis methods has resulted in the development of a finite-element analysis technique to predict heat-pipe startup from the frozen state. However, current requirements of light-weight design and reliability suggest that metallic heat pipes embedded in a refractory composite material should be used. This concept is the concept presently being evaluated for NASP. A refractory-composite/heat-pipe-cooled wing leading edge is currently being considered for the National Aero-Space Plane (NASP). This concept uses high-temperature refractory-metal/lithium heat pipes embedded within a refractory-composite structure and is significantly lighter than an actively cooled wing leading edge because it eliminates the need for active cooling during ascent and descent. Since the

Thermostructural Evaluation of Joggle Region on the Shuttle Orbiter's Wing Leading Edge

Science.gov (United States)

Walker, Sandra P.; Warren, Jerry E.

2012-01-01

An investigation was initiated to determine the cause of coating spallation occurring on the Shuttle Orbiter's wing leading edge panels in the slip-side joggle region. The coating spallation events were observed, post flight, on differing panels on different missions. As part of the investigation, the high re-entry heating occurring on the joggles was considered here as a possible cause. Thus, a thermostructural evaluation was conducted to determine the detailed state-of-stress in the joggle region during re-entry and the feasibility of a laboratory test on a local joggle specimen to replicate this state-of-stress. A detailed three-dimensional finite element model of a panel slip-side joggle region was developed. Parametric and sensitivity studies revealed significant stresses occur in the joggle during peak heating. A critical interlaminar normal stress concentration was predicted in the substrate at the coating interface and was confined to the curved joggle region. Specifically, the high interlaminar normal stress is identified to be the cause for the occurrence of failure in the form of local subsurface material separation occurring in the slip-side joggle. The predicted critical stresses are coincident with material separations that had been observed with microscopy in joggle specimens obtained from flight panels.

Control of Flow Structure on Non-Slender Delta Wing: Bio-inspired Edge Modifications, Passive Bleeding, and Pulsed Blowing

Science.gov (United States)

Yavuz, Mehmet Metin; Celik, Alper; Cetin, Cenk

2016-11-01

In the present study, different flow control approaches including bio-inspired edge modifications, passive bleeding, and pulsed blowing are introduced and applied for the flow over non-slender delta wing. Experiments are conducted in a low speed wind tunnel for a 45 degree swept delta wing using qualitative and quantitative measurement techniques including laser illuminated smoke visualization, particle image velocimety (PIV), and surface pressure measurements. For the bio-inspired edge modifications, the edges of the wing are modified to dolphin fluke geometry. In addition, the concept of flexion ratio, a ratio depending on the flexible length of animal propulsors such as wings, is introduced. For passive bleeding, directing the free stream air from the pressure side of the planform to the suction side of the wing is applied. For pulsed blowing, periodic air injection through the leading edge of the wing is performed in a square waveform with 25% duty cycle at different excitation frequencies and compared with the steady and no blowing cases. The results indicate that each control approach is quite effective in terms of altering the overall flow structure on the planform. However, the success level, considering the elimination of stall or delaying the vortex breakdown, depends on the parameters in each method.

Control of leading edge vortex breakdown by blowing

Science.gov (United States)

Visser, K. D.; Iwanski, K. P.; Nelson, R. C.; Ng, T. T.

1988-01-01

An investigation into the effects of using a jet of air to control the vortex breakdown position on a 70 degree delta wing is presented. The specific objectives focused on optimizing the blowing positions in terms of maximum lift increments obtained for minimum blowing rates. The tests were conducted at chord Reynolds numbers of 150,000, 200,000, and 250,000 at angles of incidence of 30 and 35 degrees. Visualization and force data is presented to show the effect of the jet on the wing aerodynamic characteristics. The results indicate a jet position located at and aligned parallel to the leading edge to be the optimum. Nearness to the apex and tangency to the upper surface were also crucial factors. The influence of the jet on the leading edge vortex structure was examined using laser Doppler anemometry. Velocity surveys through the vortex showed that at high blowing rates the parallel velocity in the outer swirling region of the vortex increased and the normal velocity decreased. This resulted in a decrease in the swirling angle in the outer region. The peak core velocity was reduced and the vortex breakdown was delayed.

Studies Conducted of Sodium Carbonate Contaminant Found on the Wing Leading Edge and the Nose Cap of the Space Shuttle Orbiter

Science.gov (United States)

Jacobson, Nathan S.; Palou, Jaime J.

2003-01-01

In early 2001, three of the space shuttle orbiters were found to have a sodium carbonate contaminant on the wing leading edge and nose cap. These parts are made of a reinforced carbon/carbon material protected by silicon carbide (SiC) and a glass coating. The glass coating is known as Type A and is primarily sodium silicate with particles of SiC. NASA Glenn Research Center's Environmental Durability Branch was asked to determine the chemistry of this deposit formation and assess any possible detrimental effects. At low temperatures, the reverse reaction is favorable. Previous studies of the corrosion of glass show that carbon dioxide in the presence of water does form sodium carbonate on sodium silicate glass (ref. 1). It is quite likely that a similar scenario exists for the orbiter wing leading edge. All three orbiters that formed sodium carbonate were exposed to rain. This formation of sodium carbonate was duplicated in the laboratory. The Type A glass, which coats the wing leading edge and nose cap, was made in a freestanding form and exposed to water in two separate experiments. In one set of experiments, the coating was placed in a petri dish filled with water. As the water evaporated, sodium carbonate formed. In another case, water was slowly dripped on the coating and sodium carbonate formed. The sodium carbonate was detected by chemical analysis and, in some cases, xray diffraction showed a hydrated sodium carbonate. The next step was to examine possible detrimental effects of this sodium carbonate. There are three likely scenarios for the sodium carbonate deposit: (1) it may be removed with a simple rinse, (2) it may remain and flow back into the Type A glass after heating during reentry, or (3) it may remain and flow onto unprotected SiC and/or other parts after heating during reentry. The effect of case 1 is to remove the Na2O constituent from the Type A glass, thus decreasing its effectiveness as a sealant. Even so, overall, it is probably the best

The leading-edge vortex of yacht sails

Science.gov (United States)

Arredondo-Galeana, Abel; Viola, Ignazio Maria

2017-11-01

We experimentally show, for the first time, that a stable Leading-Edge Vortex (LEV) can be formed on an asymmetric spinnaker, which is a high-lift sail used by yachts to sail downwind. We tested a 3D printed rigid sail in a water flume at a chord-based Reynolds number of ca. 104. We found that on the leeward side of the sail (the suction side), the flow separates at the leading edge reattaching further downstream and forming a stable LEV. The LEV grows in diameter from the root to the tip of the sail, where it merges with the tip vortex. We detected the LEV using the γ criterion, and we verified its stability over time. The lift contribution provided by the LEV was computed solving a complex potential model of each sail section. This analysis indicated that the LEV provides a substantial contribution to the total sail's lift. These findings suggest that the maximum lift of low-aspect-ratio wings with a sharp leading edge, such as spinnakers, can be enhanced by promoting a stable LEV. This work was funded by the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia (CONACYT).

Simulating Bird Strike on Aircraft Composite Wing Leading Edge.

OpenAIRE

Ericsson, Max

2012-01-01

In this master thesis project the possibility to model the response of a wing when subjected to bird strike using finite elements is analyzed. Since this transient event lasts only a few milliseconds the used solution method is explicit time integration. The wing is manufactured using carbon fiber laminate. Carbon fiber laminates have orthotropic material properties with different stiffness in different directions. Accordingly, there are damage mechanisms not considered when using metal that ...

Applicability of linearized-theory attached-flow methods to design and analysis of flap systems at low speeds for thin swept wings with sharp leading edges

Science.gov (United States)

Carlson, Harry W.; Darden, Christine M.

1987-01-01

Low-speed experimental force and data on a series of thin swept wings with sharp leading edges and leading and trailing-edge flaps are compared with predictions made using a linearized-theory method which includes estimates of vortex forces. These comparisons were made to assess the effectiveness of linearized-theory methods for use in the design and analysis of flap systems in subsonic flow. Results demonstrate that linearized-theory, attached-flow methods (with approximate representation of vortex forces) can form the basis of a rational system for flap design and analysis. Even attached-flow methods that do not take vortex forces into account can be used for the selection of optimized flap-system geometry, but design-point performance levels tend to be underestimated unless vortex forces are included. Illustrative examples of the use of these methods in the design of efficient low-speed flap systems are included.

Aircraft Wing for Over-The-Wing Mounting of Engine Nacelle

Science.gov (United States)

Hahn, Andrew S. (Inventor); Kinney, David J. (Inventor)

2011-01-01

An aircraft wing has an inboard section and an outboard section. The inboard section is attached (i) on one side thereof to the aircraft's fuselage, and (ii) on an opposing side thereof to an inboard side of a turbofan engine nacelle in an over-the-wing mounting position. The outboard section's leading edge has a sweep of at least 20 degrees. The inboard section's leading edge has a sweep between -15 and +15 degrees, and extends from the fuselage to an attachment position on the nacelle that is forward of an index position defined as an imaginary intersection between the sweep of the outboard section's leading edge and the inboard side of the nacelle. In an alternate embodiment, the turbofan engine nacelle is replaced with an open rotor engine nacelle.

Rotary balance data for a typical single-engine general aviation design for an angle-of-attack range of 8 degrees to 35 degrees, 3. Effect of wing leading-edge modifications, model A

Science.gov (United States)

Bihrle, W., Jr.; Mulcay, W.

1979-01-01

Aerodynamic characteristics obtained in a rotational flow environment utilizing a rotary balance located in the Langley spin tunnel are presented in plotted form for a 1/5 scale, single-engine, low-wing, general aviation airplane model. The configurations tested included the basic airplane, sixteen wing leading-edge modifications and lateral-directional control settings. Data are presented for all configurations without analysis for an angle of attack range of 8 deg to 35 deg and clockwise and counter-clockwise rotations covering an Omega b/2v range from 0 to 0.85. Also, data are presented above 35 deg of attack for some configurations.

Development of Delta Wing Aerodynamics Research in Universiti Teknologi Malaysia Low Speed Wind Tunnel

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shabudin Mat

2014-07-01

Full Text Available This paper presents wind tunnel experiment on two delta wing configurations which are differentiated by their leading edge profiles: sharp and round-edged wings. The experiments were performed as a part of the delta wing aerodynamics research development in Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, low speed tunnel (UTM-LST. Steady load balance and flow visualization tests were conducted at Reynolds numbers of 0.5, 1, and 1.5 × 106, respectively. The flow measurement at low Reynolds number was also performed at as low as speed of 5 m/s. During the experiments, laser with smoke flow visualizations test was performed on both wings. The study has identified interesting features of the interrelationship between the conventional leading edge primary vortex and the occurrence and development of the vortex breakdown above the delta wings. The results conclude the vortex characteristics are largely dependent on the Reynolds number, angle of attack, and leading-edge radii of the wing.

The flow over a 'high' aspect ratio gothic wing at supersonic speeds

Science.gov (United States)

Narayan, K. Y.

1975-01-01

Results are presented of an experimental investigation on a nonconical wing which supports an attached shock wave over a region of the leading edge near the vertex and a detached shock elsewhere. The shock detachment point is determined from planform schlieren photographs of the flow field and discrepancies are shown to exist between this and the one calculated by applying the oblique shock equations normal to the leading edge. On a physical basis, it is argued that the shock detachment has to obey the two-dimensional law normal to the leading edges. From this, and from other measurements on conical wings, it is thought that the planform schlieren technique may not be particularly satisfactory for detecting shock detachment. Surface pressure distributions are presented and are explained in terms of the flow over related delta wings which are identified as a vertex delta wing and a local delta wing.

Leading-Edge Flow Sensing for Aerodynamic Parameter Estimation

Science.gov (United States)

Saini, Aditya

The identification of inflow air data quantities such as airspeed, angle of attack, and local lift coefficient on various sections of a wing or rotor blade provides the capability for load monitoring, aerodynamic diagnostics, and control on devices ranging from air vehicles to wind turbines. Real-time measurement of aerodynamic parameters during flight provides the ability to enhance aircraft operating capabilities while preventing dangerous stall situations. This thesis presents a novel Leading-Edge Flow Sensing (LEFS) algorithm for the determination of the air -data parameters using discrete surface pressures measured at a few ports in the vicinity of the leading edge of a wing or blade section. The approach approximates the leading-edge region of the airfoil as a parabola and uses pressure distribution from the exact potential-ow solution for the parabola to _t the pressures measured from the ports. Pressures sensed at five discrete locations near the leading edge of an airfoil are given as input to the algorithm to solve the model using a simple nonlinear regression. The algorithm directly computes the inflow velocity, the stagnation-point location, section angle of attack and lift coefficient. The performance of the algorithm is assessed using computational and experimental data in the literature for airfoils under different ow conditions. The results show good correlation between the actual and predicted aerodynamic quantities within the pre-stall regime, even for a rotating blade section. Sensing the deviation of the aerodynamic behavior from the linear regime requires additional information on the location of ow separation on the airfoil surface. Bio-inspired artificial hair sensors were explored as a part of the current research for stall detection. The response of such artificial micro-structures can identify critical ow characteristics, which relate directly to the stall behavior. The response of the microfences was recorded via an optical microscope for

On the effects of leading edge vortex generators on an OA209 airfoil

OpenAIRE

Heine, Benjamin; Mulleners, Karen; Gardner, Anthony; Mai, Holger

2009-01-01

Leading edge vortex generators have been found to significantly increase the aerodynamic performance of an airfoil under dynamic stall conditions. However, the principle of operation of these devices is still unclear. Therefore static wind and water tunnel experiments as well as CFD simulations have been conducted on a rotary aircraft wing profile OA209. A POD analysis applied to the vector fields generated by PIV measurements showed that the vortex generators break larger flow structures...

Flight Investigation of the Low-Speed Characteristics of a 45 deg Swept-Wing Fighter-Type Airplane with Blowing Boundary-Layer Control Applied to the Leading- and Trailing-Edge Flaps

Science.gov (United States)

Quigley, Hervey C.; Anderson, Seth B.; Innis, Robert C.

1960-01-01

A flight investigation has been conducted to study how pilots use the high lift available with blowing-type boundary-layer control applied to the leading- and trailing-edge flaps of a 45 deg. swept-wing airplane. The study includes documentation of the low-speed handling qualities as well as the pilots' evaluations of the landing-approach characteristics. All the pilots who flew the airplane considered it more comfortable to fly at low speeds than any other F-100 configuration they had flown. The major improvements noted were the reduced stall speed, the improved longitudinal stability at high lift, and the reduction in low-speed buffet. The study has shown the minimum comfortable landing-approach speeds are between 120.5 and 126.5 knots compared to 134 for the airplane with a slatted leading edge and the same trailing-edge flap. The limiting factors in the pilots' choices of landing-approach speeds were the limits of ability to control flight-path angle, lack of visibility, trim change with thrust, low static directional stability, and sluggish longitudinal control. Several of these factors were found to be associated with the high angles of attack, between 13 deg. and 15 deg., required for the low approach speeds. The angle of attack for maximum lift coefficient was 28 deg.

Effect of tip vortices on membrane vibration of flexible wings with different aspect ratios

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Genç Mustafa Serdar

2016-01-01

Full Text Available In this study, the effect of the aspect ratio on the aerodynamics characteristic of flexible membrane wings with different aspect ratios (AR = 1 and AR = 3 is experimentally investigated at Reynolds number of 25000. Time accurate measurements of membrane deformation using Digital Image Correlation system (DIC is carried out while normal forces of the wing will be measured by helping a load-cell system and flow on the wing was visualized by means of smoke wire technic. The characteristics of high aspect ratio wings are shown to be affected by leading edge separation bubbles at low Reynolds number. It is concluded that the camber of membrane wing excites the separated shear layer and this situation increases the lift coefficient relatively more as compared to rigid wings. In membrane wings with low aspect ratio, unsteadiness included tip vortices and vortex shedding, and the combination of tip vortices and vortex shedding causes complex unsteady deformations of these membrane wings. The characteristic of high aspect ratio wings was shown to be affected by leading edge separation bubbles at low Reynolds numbers whereas the deformations of flexible wing with low aspect ratio affected by tip vortices and leading edge separation bubbles.

Effect of flexibility on flapping wing characteristics under forward flight

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhu, Jianyang; Jiang, Lin; Zhou, Chaoying; Wang, Chao

2014-01-01

Through two-dimensional numerical simulation and by solving the unsteady incompressible Navier–Stokes (NS) equations, coupled with the structural dynamic equation for the motion of the wing, the effect of flexibility on flapping wing characteristics during forward flight is systematically studied. The flapping wing is considered as a cantilever, which performs the translational and rotational motion at its leading edge, and the other part is passively deformed by the aerodynamic force. The frequency ratio ω* and mass ratio m* are defined and used to characterize the flexibility of the flapping wing. It has been found that an optimal range of the frequency ratio exists in which the flexible wing possesses both a larger propulsive efficiency and lifting efficiency than their rigid counterpart. Also, the flexible wing with the smaller mass ratio may be of benefit to generate thrust, while the larger mass ratio may be of benefit to generate lift. In addition, a stronger leading edge vortex and reattachment vortex are observed around the appropriate flexibility wing’s surface, which therefore leads to better aerodynamic characteristics. (paper)

A Unit-Problem Investigation of Blunt Leading-Edge Separation Motivated by AVT-161 SACCON Research

Science.gov (United States)

Luckring, James M.; Boelens, Okko J.

2011-01-01

A research effort has been initiated to examine in more detail some of the challenging flow fields discovered from analysis of the SACCON configuration aerodynamics. This particular effort is oriented toward a diamond wing investigation specifically designed to isolate blunt leading-edge separation phenomena relevant to the SACCON investigations of the present workshop. The approach taken to design this new effort is reviewed along with the current status of the program.

Investigation of non thermal effects from the Dα line wings in edge plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marandet, Y.; Godbert-Mouret, L.; Koubiti, M.; Stamm, R.; Capes, H.; Guirlet, R.

2002-01-01

The far wings of intense Dα lines measured at the edge of the Tore Supra Tokamak are found to exhibit a power-law behavior. The characteristic exponent is not far from two. Since the low density rules out thermal Stark broadening, we discuss non thermal effects which may arise from the edge plasma drift-wave turbulence. We suggest that both the Stark and the Doppler profile could be affected by the turbulence

Numerical simulation of incidence and sweep effects on delta wing vortex breakdown

Science.gov (United States)

Ekaterinaris, J. A.; Schiff, Lewis B.

1994-01-01

The structure of the vortical flowfield over delta wings at high angles of attack was investigated. Three-dimensional Navier-Stokes numerical simulations were carried out to predict the complex leeward-side flowfield characteristics, including leading-edge separation, secondary separation, and vortex breakdown. Flows over a 75- and a 63-deg sweep delta wing with sharp leading edges were investigated and compared with available experimental data. The effect of variation of circumferential grid resolution grid resolution in the vicinity of the wing leading edge on the accuracy of the solutions was addressed. Furthermore, the effect of turbulence modeling on the solutions was investigated. The effects of variation of angle of attack on the computed vortical flow structure for the 75-deg sweep delta wing were examined. At moderate angles of attack no vortex breakdown was observed. When a critical angle of attack was reached, bubble-type vortex breakdown was found. With further increase in angle of attack, a change from bubble-type breakdown to spiral-type vortex breakdown was predicted by the numerical solution. The effects of variation of sweep angle and freestream Mach number were addressed with the solutions on a 63-deg sweep delta wing.

Morphological Variations of Leading-Edge Serrations in Owls (Strigiformes.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Matthias Weger

Full Text Available Owls have developed serrations, comb-like structures, along the leading edge of their wings. Serrations were investigated from a morphological and a mechanical point of view, but were not yet quantitatively compared for different species. Such a comparative investigation of serrations from species of different sizes and activity patterns may provide new information about the function of the serrations.Serrations on complete wings and on tenth primary remiges of seven owl species were investigated. Small, middle-sized, and large owl species were investigated as well as species being more active during the day and owls being more active during the night. Serrations occurred at the outer parts of the wings, predominantly at tenth primary remiges, but also on further wing feathers in most species. Serration tips were oriented away from the feather rachis so that they faced into the air stream during flight. The serrations of nocturnal owl species were higher developed as demonstrated by a larger inclination angle (the angle between the base of the barb and the rachis, a larger tip displacement angle (the angle between the tip of the serration and the base of the serration and a longer length. Putting the measured data into a clustering algorithm yielded dendrograms that suggested a strong influence of activity pattern, but only a weak influence of size on the development of the serrations.Serrations are supposed to be involved in noise reduction during flight and also depend on the aerodynamic properties that in turn depend on body size. Since especially nocturnal owls have to rely on hearing during prey capture, the more pronounced serrations of nocturnal species lend further support to the notion that serrations have an important function in noise reduction. The differences in shape of the serrations investigated indicate that a silent flight requires well-developed serrations.

Morphological Variations of Leading-Edge Serrations in Owls (Strigiformes)

Science.gov (United States)

Weger, Matthias; Wagner, Hermann

2016-01-01

Background Owls have developed serrations, comb-like structures, along the leading edge of their wings. Serrations were investigated from a morphological and a mechanical point of view, but were not yet quantitatively compared for different species. Such a comparative investigation of serrations from species of different sizes and activity patterns may provide new information about the function of the serrations. Results Serrations on complete wings and on tenth primary remiges of seven owl species were investigated. Small, middle-sized, and large owl species were investigated as well as species being more active during the day and owls being more active during the night. Serrations occurred at the outer parts of the wings, predominantly at tenth primary remiges, but also on further wing feathers in most species. Serration tips were oriented away from the feather rachis so that they faced into the air stream during flight. The serrations of nocturnal owl species were higher developed as demonstrated by a larger inclination angle (the angle between the base of the barb and the rachis), a larger tip displacement angle (the angle between the tip of the serration and the base of the serration) and a longer length. Putting the measured data into a clustering algorithm yielded dendrograms that suggested a strong influence of activity pattern, but only a weak influence of size on the development of the serrations. Conclusions Serrations are supposed to be involved in noise reduction during flight and also depend on the aerodynamic properties that in turn depend on body size. Since especially nocturnal owls have to rely on hearing during prey capture, the more pronounced serrations of nocturnal species lend further support to the notion that serrations have an important function in noise reduction. The differences in shape of the serrations investigated indicate that a silent flight requires well-developed serrations. PMID:26934104

Roughness Effects on the Formation of a Leading Edge Vortex

Science.gov (United States)

Elliott, Cassidy; Lang, Amy; Wahidi, Redha; Wilroy, Jacob

2016-11-01

Microscopic scales cover the wings of Monarch butterflies, creating a patterned surface. This patterning is an important natural flow control mechanism that is thought to delay the growth of the leading edge vortex (LEV) produced by the flapping motion of a wing. The increased skin friction caused by the scales leads to a weaker LEV being shed into the butterfly's wake, lessening drag and increasing flight efficiency. To test this theory, a plate of random roughness was designed in SolidWorks and printed on the Objet 30 Pro 3D printer. A 2x3x5 cubic foot tow tank was used to test the rough plate at Reynold's numbers of 1500, 3000, and 6000 (velocities of 8, 16, and 32 mm/s) at an angle of attack of 45 degrees. Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) captured images of the LEV generated by the plate when towed upwards through the particle-seeded flow. Codes written in MatLab were used to automatically track and determine the strength of the LEV. Circulation values for the randomly-rough plate were then compared to the same values generated in a previous experiment that used a smooth plate and a grooved plate to determine the effect of the patterning on vortex development. Funding provided by NSF REU site Grant EEC 1358991 and CBET 1628600.

Evaluation of Blended Wing-Body Combinations with Curved Plan Forms at Mach Numbers Up to 3.50

Science.gov (United States)

Holdaway, George H.; Mellenthin, Jack A.

1960-01-01

This investigation is a continuation of the experimental and theoretical evaluation of the effects of wing plan-form variations on the aerodynamic performance characteristics of blended wing-body combinations. The present report compares previously tested straight-edged delta and arrow models which have leading-edge sweeps of 59.04 and 70-82 deg., respectively, with related models which have plan forms with curved leading and trailing edges designed to result in the same average sweeps in each case. All the models were symmetrical, without camber, and were generally similar having the same span, length, and aspect ratios. The wing sections had an average value of maximum thickness ratio of about 4 percent of the local wing chords in a streamwise direction. The wing sections were computed by varying their shapes along with the body radii (blending process) to match the selected area distribution and the given plan form. The models were tested with transition fixed at Reynolds numbers of roughly 4,000,000 to 9,000,000, based on the mean aerodynamic chord of the wing. The characteristic effect of the wing curvature of the delta and arrow models was an increase at subsonic and transonic speeds in the lift-curve slopes which was partially reflected in increased maximum lift-drag ratios. Curved edges were not evaluated on a diamond plan form because a preliminary investigation indicated that the curvature considered would increase the supersonic zero-lift wave drag. However, after the test program was completed, a suitable modification for the diamond plan form was discovered. The analysis presented in the appendix indicates that large reductions in the zero-lift wave drag would be obtained at supersonic Mach numbers if the leading- and trailing-edge sweeps are made to differ by indenting the trailing edge and extending the root of the leading edge.

Reactive Flow Control of Delta Wing Vortex (Postprint)

Science.gov (United States)

2006-08-01

wing aircraft. A substantial amount of research has been dedicated to the control of aerodynamic flows using both passive and active control mechanisms...Passive vortex control devices such as vortex generators and winglets attach to the wing and require no energy input. Passive vortex control...leading edges is also effective for changing the aerodynamic characteristics of delta wings [2] [3]. Gutmark and Guillot [5] proposed controlling

Wing pressure distributions from subsonic tests of a high-wing transport model. [in the Langley 14- by 22-Foot Subsonic Wind Tunnel

Science.gov (United States)

Applin, Zachary T.; Gentry, Garl L., Jr.; Takallu, M. A.

1995-01-01

A wind tunnel investigation was conducted on a generic, high-wing transport model in the Langley 14- by 22-Foot Subsonic Tunnel. This report contains pressure data that document effects of various model configurations and free-stream conditions on wing pressure distributions. The untwisted wing incorporated a full-span, leading-edge Krueger flap and a part-span, double-slotted trailing-edge flap system. The trailing-edge flap was tested at four different deflection angles (20 deg, 30 deg, 40 deg, and 60 deg). Four wing configurations were tested: cruise, flaps only, Krueger flap only, and high lift (Krueger flap and flaps deployed). Tests were conducted at free-stream dynamic pressures of 20 psf to 60 psf with corresponding chord Reynolds numbers of 1.22 x 10(exp 6) to 2.11 x 10(exp 6) and Mach numbers of 0.12 to 0.20. The angles of attack presented range from 0 deg to 20 deg and were determined by wing configuration. The angle of sideslip ranged from minus 20 deg to 20 deg. In general, pressure distributions were relatively insensitive to free-stream speed with exceptions primarily at high angles of attack or high flap deflections. Increasing trailing-edge Krueger flap significantly reduced peak suction pressures and steep gradients on the wing at high angles of attack. Installation of the empennage had no effect on wing pressure distributions. Unpowered engine nacelles reduced suction pressures on the wing and the flaps.

Development of Variable Camber Continuous Trailing Edge Flap for Performance Adaptive Aeroelastic Wing

Science.gov (United States)

Nguyen, Nhan; Kaul, Upender; Lebofsky, Sonia; Ting, Eric; Chaparro, Daniel; Urnes, James

2015-01-01

This paper summarizes the recent development of an adaptive aeroelastic wing shaping control technology called variable camber continuous trailing edge flap (VCCTEF). As wing flexibility increases, aeroelastic interactions with aerodynamic forces and moments become an increasingly important consideration in aircraft design and aerodynamic performance. Furthermore, aeroelastic interactions with flight dynamics can result in issues with vehicle stability and control. The initial VCCTEF concept was developed in 2010 by NASA under a NASA Innovation Fund study entitled "Elastically Shaped Future Air Vehicle Concept," which showed that highly flexible wing aerodynamic surfaces can be elastically shaped in-flight by active control of wing twist and bending deflection in order to optimize the spanwise lift distribution for drag reduction. A collaboration between NASA and Boeing Research & Technology was subsequently funded by NASA from 2012 to 2014 to further develop the VCCTEF concept. This paper summarizes some of the key research areas conducted by NASA during the collaboration with Boeing Research and Technology. These research areas include VCCTEF design concepts, aerodynamic analysis of VCCTEF camber shapes, aerodynamic optimization of lift distribution for drag minimization, wind tunnel test results for cruise and high-lift configurations, flutter analysis and suppression control of flexible wing aircraft, and multi-objective flight control for adaptive aeroelastic wing shaping control.

Aeroelastic Analysis of a Flexible Wing Wind Tunnel Model with Variable Camber Continuous Trailing Edge Flap Design

Science.gov (United States)

Nguyen, Nhan; Ting, Eric; Lebofsky, Sonia

2015-01-01

This paper presents data analysis of a flexible wing wind tunnel model with a variable camber continuous trailing edge flap (VCCTEF) design for drag minimization tested at the University of Washington Aeronautical Laboratory (UWAL). The wind tunnel test was designed to explore the relative merit of the VCCTEF concept for improved cruise efficiency through the use of low-cost aeroelastic model test techniques. The flexible wing model is a 10%-scale model of a typical transport wing and is constructed of woven fabric composites and foam core. The wing structural stiffness in bending is tailored to be half of the stiffness of a Boeing 757-era transport wing while the torsional stiffness is about the same. This stiffness reduction results in a wing tip deflection of about 10% of the wing semi-span. The VCCTEF is a multi-segment flap design having three chordwise camber segments and five spanwise flap sections for a total of 15 individual flap elements. The three chordwise camber segments can be positioned appropriately to create a desired trailing edge camber. Elastomeric material is used to cover the gaps in between the spanwise flap sections, thereby creating a continuous trailing edge. Wind tunnel data analysis conducted previously shows that the VCCTEF can achieve a drag reduction of up to 6.31% and an improvement in the lift-to-drag ratio (L=D) of up to 4.85%. A method for estimating the bending and torsional stiffnesses of the flexible wingUWAL wind tunnel model from static load test data is presented. The resulting estimation indicates that the stiffness of the flexible wing is significantly stiffer in torsion than in bending by as much as 9 to 1. The lift prediction for the flexible wing is computed by a coupled aerodynamic-structural model. The coupled model is developed by coupling a conceptual aerodynamic tool Vorlax with a finite-element model of the flexible wing via an automated geometry deformation tool. Based on the comparison of the lift curve slope

Elastically Deformable Side-Edge Link for Trailing-Edge Flap Aeroacoustic Noise Reduction

Science.gov (United States)

Khorrami, Mehdi R. (Inventor); Lockard, David P. (Inventor); Moore, James B. (Inventor); Su, Ji (Inventor); Turner, Travis L. (Inventor); Lin, John C. (Inventor); Taminger, Karen M. (Inventor); Kahng, Seun K. (Inventor); Verden, Scott A. (Inventor)

2014-01-01

A system is provided for reducing aeroacoustic noise generated by an aircraft having wings equipped with trailing-edge flaps. The system includes a plurality of elastically deformable structures. Each structure is coupled to and along one of the side edges of one of the trailing-edge flaps, and is coupled to a portion of one of the wings that is adjacent to the one of the side edges. The structures elastically deform when the trailing-edge flaps are deployed away from the wings.

Development of Delta Wing Aerodynamics Research in Universiti Teknologi Malaysia Low Speed Wind Tunnel

OpenAIRE

Shabudin Mat; I. S. Ishak; Tholudin Mat Lazim; Shuhaimi Mansor; Mazuriah Said; Abdul Basid Abdul Rahman; Ahmad Shukeri Mohd. Kamaludim; Romain Brossay

2014-01-01

This paper presents wind tunnel experiment on two delta wing configurations which are differentiated by their leading edge profiles: sharp and round-edged wings. The experiments were performed as a part of the delta wing aerodynamics research development in Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, low speed tunnel (UTM-LST). Steady load balance and flow visualization tests were conducted at Reynolds numbers of 0.5, 1, and 1.5 × 106, respectively. The flow measurement at low Reynolds number was also per...

Aerodynamic tailoring of the Learjet Model 60 wing

Science.gov (United States)

Chandrasekharan, Reuben M.; Hawke, Veronica M.; Hinson, Michael L.; Kennelly, Robert A., Jr.; Madson, Michael D.

1993-01-01

The wing of the Learjet Model 60 was tailored for improved aerodynamic characteristics using the TRANAIR transonic full-potential computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code. A root leading edge glove and wing tip fairing were shaped to reduce shock strength, improve cruise drag and extend the buffet limit. The aerodynamic design was validated by wind tunnel test and flight test data.

Experiments on a low aspect ratio wing at low Reynolds numbers

Science.gov (United States)

Morse, Daniel R.

At the start of the 21st century much of the focus of aircraft design has been turned to unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) which generally operate at much lower speeds in higher risk areas than manned aircraft. One subset of UAVs are Micro Air Vehicles (MAVs) which usually are no larger than 20cm and rely on non-traditional shapes to generate lift at very low velocities. This purpose of this work is to describe, in detail with experimental methods, the flow field around a low aspect ratio wing operating at low Reynolds numbers and at high angles of attack. Quantitative measurements are obtained by Three Component Time Resolved Particle Image Velocimetry (3C TR PIV) which describe the mean and turbulent flow field. This research focuses on the leading edge separation zone and the vortex shedding process which occurs at the leading edge. Streamwise wing tip vortices which dominate the lift characteristics are described with flow visualization and 3C TR PIV measurements. Turbulent Kinetic Energy (TKE) is described at the leading edge over several angles of attack. Turbulent Reynolds stresses in all three directions are described over the wing span and several Reynolds numbers. Two primary cyclic processes are observed within the flow field; one low frequency oscillation in the separated region and one high frequency event associated with leading edge vortex formation and convection. Two length scales are proposed and are shown to match well with each other, one based on leading edge vortex shedding frequency and convective velocity and the other based on mean vortex separation distance. A new method of rendering velocity frequency content over large data sets is proposed and used to illustrate the different frequencies observed at the leading edge.

Roughness Effects on the Formation of a Leading Edge Vortex

Science.gov (United States)

Elliott, Cassidy; Lang, Amy; Wahidi, Redha; Wilroy, Jacob

2017-11-01

Microscopic scales cover the wings of Monarch butterflies, creating a patterned surface that acts as a natural energy capture mechanism. This patterning is thought to delay the growth of the leading edge vortex (LEV) produced by the flapping motion of a wing. Increased skin friction caused by the scales leads to a weaker LEV being shed into the butterfly's wake, lessening drag and increasing flight efficiency. To test how this roughness effects LEV formation, a plate of random roughness was designed in SolidWorks and printed on the Objet 30 Pro 3D printer. A 2x3x5 cubic foot tow tank was used to test the rough plate at Reynold's numbers of 1500, 3000, and 6000 (velocities of 8, 16, and 32 mm/s) at an angle of attack of 45 degrees. Images were captured of the LEV generated when the plate was towed upwards through the particle-seeded flow. These images were used to determine the XY velocity of the particles using a technique called Digital Particle Image Velocimetry (DPIV). Codes written in MATLAB were used to track and measure the strength of the LEV. Circulation values for the randomly-rough plate were then compared to the same values generated in a previous experiment that used a smooth plate and a grooved plate to determine the effect of the patterning on vortex development. Funding for this research project was provided by the National Science Foundation under the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program (REU Supplement CBET 1628600 under CBET 1335848).

Experimental Investigations on Leading-Edge Vortex Structures for Flow over Non-Slender Delta Wings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jin-Jun, Wang; Wang, Zhang

2008-01-01

The dye injection and hydrogen bubble visualization techniques are used to investigate the dual-vortex structure including its development, breakdown and the spatial location of vortex core over nonslender delta wings. It is concluded that the dual-vortex structure can be affected significantly by sweep angle and Reynolds number, and generated only at small angle of attack. The angle between the projection of outer vortex core on delta wing surface and the root chord line has nothing to do with the Reynolds Number and angle of attack, but has simple linear relation with the sweep angle of the model tested. (fundamental areas of phenomenology (including applications))

Hovering hummingbird wing aerodynamics during the annual cycle. I. Complete wing.

Science.gov (United States)

Achache, Yonathan; Sapir, Nir; Elimelech, Yossef

2017-08-01

The diverse hummingbird family (Trochilidae) has unique adaptations for nectarivory, among which is the ability to sustain hover-feeding. As hummingbirds mainly feed while hovering, it is crucial to maintain this ability throughout the annual cycle-especially during flight-feather moult, in which wing area is reduced. To quantify the aerodynamic characteristics and flow mechanisms of a hummingbird wing throughout the annual cycle, time-accurate aerodynamic loads and flow field measurements were correlated over a dynamically scaled wing model of Anna's hummingbird ( Calypte anna ). We present measurements recorded over a model of a complete wing to evaluate the baseline aerodynamic characteristics and flow mechanisms. We found that the vorticity concentration that had developed from the wing's leading-edge differs from the attached vorticity structure that was typically found over insects' wings; firstly, it is more elongated along the wing chord, and secondly, it encounters high levels of fluctuations rather than a steady vortex. Lift characteristics resemble those of insects; however, a 20% increase in the lift-to-torque ratio was obtained for the hummingbird wing model. Time-accurate aerodynamic loads were also used to evaluate the time-evolution of the specific power required from the flight muscles, and the overall wingbeat power requirements nicely matched previous studies.

Short revolving wings enable hovering animals to avoid stall and reduce drag

Science.gov (United States)

Lentink, David; Kruyt, Jan W.; Heijst, Gertjan F.; Altshuler, Douglas L.

2014-11-01

Long and slender wings reduce the drag of airplanes, helicopters, and gliding animals, which operate at low angle of attack (incidence). Remarkably, there is no evidence for such influence of wing aspect ratio on the energetics of hovering animals that operate their wings at much higher incidence. High incidence causes aircraft wings to stall, hovering animals avoid stall by generating an attached vortex along the leading edge of their wings that elevates lift. Hypotheses that explain this capability include the necessity for a short radial distance between the shoulder joint and wing tip, measured in chord lengths, instead of the long tip-to-tip distance that elevates aircraft performance. This stems from how hovering animals revolve their wings around a joint, a condition for which the precise effect of aspect ratio on stall performance is unknown. Here we show that the attachment of the leading edge vortex is determined by wing aspect ratio with respect to the center of rotation-for a suite of aspect ratios that represent both animal and aircraft wings. The vortex remains attached when the local radius is shorter than 4 chord lengths, and separates outboard on more slender wings. Like most other hovering animals, hummingbirds have wing aspect ratios between 3 and 4, much stubbier than helicopters. Our results show this makes their wings robust against flow separation, which reduces drag below values obtained with more slender wings. This revises our understanding of how aspect ratio improves performance at low Reynolds numbers.

An experimental investigation of the shear-layer and acoustic sources produced by a leading edge slat

Science.gov (United States)

Wilkins, Stephen; Richard, Patrick; Hall, Joseph; Turbulence; Flow Noise Laboratory Team

2013-11-01

Leading edge slats are a common addition to airfoils as part of a high lift configuration employed during take-off and landing; the unsteady flow caused by these slats is a major contributor to the overal airframe noise. As the next generation of aircraft seeks to reduce these noise concerns, a better understanding of the sources of aeroacoustic noise generation is sought. Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) and simultaneous multipoint measurements of the unsteady surface pressure are used herein to investigate the unsteady flow around a leading edge slat coupled with an airfoil for several different configurations and a range of Reynolds numbers (Re = 156 , 000 to Re = 1 . 2 million based on the wing chord). Shear-layer development off the slat cusp and the related unsteady vortex structures are examined in detail to better establish and understand the mechanisms responsible for the generation of aeroacoustic slat noise. The authors are grateful for the support provided by GARDN.

Dynamic Stall Characteristics of Drooped Leading Edge Airfoils

Science.gov (United States)

Sankar, Lakshmi N.; Sahin, Mehmet; Gopal, Naveen

2000-01-01

Helicopters in high-speed forward flight usually experience large regions of dynamic stall over the retreating side of the rotor disk. The rapid variations in the lift and pitching moments associated with the stall process can result in vibratory loads, and can cause fatigue and failure of pitch links. In some instances, the large time lag between the aerodynamic forces and the blade motion can trigger stall flutter. A number of techniques for the alleviation of dynamic stall have been proposed and studied by researchers. Passive and active control techniques have both been explored. Passive techniques include the use of high solidity rotors that reduce the lift coefficients of individual blades, leading edge slots and leading edge slats. Active control techniques include steady and unsteady blowing, and dynamically deformable leading edge (DDLE) airfoils. Considerable amount of experimental and numerical data has been collected on the effectiveness of these concepts. One concept that has not received as much attention is the drooped-leading edge airfoil idea. It has been observed in wind tunnel studies and flight tests that drooped leading edge airfoils can have a milder dynamic stall, with a significantly milder load hysteresis. Drooped leading edge airfoils may not, however, be suitable at other conditions, e.g. in hover, or in transonic flow. Work needs to be done on the analysis and design of drooped leading edge airfoils for efficient operation in a variety of flight regimes (hover, dynamic stall, and transonic flow). One concept that is worthy of investigation is the dynamically drooping airfoil, where the leading edge shape is changed roughly once-per-rev to mitigate the dynamic stall.

Symmetric airfoil geometry effects on leading edge noise.

Science.gov (United States)

Gill, James; Zhang, X; Joseph, P

2013-10-01

Computational aeroacoustic methods are applied to the modeling of noise due to interactions between gusts and the leading edge of real symmetric airfoils. Single frequency harmonic gusts are interacted with various airfoil geometries at zero angle of attack. The effects of airfoil thickness and leading edge radius on noise are investigated systematically and independently for the first time, at higher frequencies than previously used in computational methods. Increases in both leading edge radius and thickness are found to reduce the predicted noise. This noise reduction effect becomes greater with increasing frequency and Mach number. The dominant noise reduction mechanism for airfoils with real geometry is found to be related to the leading edge stagnation region. It is shown that accurate leading edge noise predictions can be made when assuming an inviscid meanflow, but that it is not valid to assume a uniform meanflow. Analytic flat plate predictions are found to over-predict the noise due to a NACA 0002 airfoil by up to 3 dB at high frequencies. The accuracy of analytic flat plate solutions can be expected to decrease with increasing airfoil thickness, leading edge radius, gust frequency, and Mach number.

Leading edge vortices in lesser long-nosed bats occurring at slow but not fast flight speeds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Muijres, Florian T; Christoffer Johansson, L; Hedenström, Anders; Winter, York

2014-01-01

Slow and hovering animal flight creates high demands on the lift production of animal wings. Steady state aerodynamics is unable to explain the forces required and the most commonly used mechanism to enhance the lift production is a leading edge vortex (LEV). Although LEVs increase the lift, they come at the cost of high drag. Here we determine the flow above the wing of lesser long-nosed bats at slow and cruising speed using particle image velocimetry (PIV). We find that a prominent LEV is present during the downstroke at slow speed, but not at cruising speed. Comparison with previously published LEV data from a robotic flapper inspired by lesser long-nosed bats suggests that bats should be able to generate LEVs at cruising speeds, but that they avoid doing so, probably to increase flight efficiency. In addition, at slow flight speeds we find LEVs of opposite spin at the inner and outer wing during the upstroke, potentially providing a control challenge to the animal. We also note that the LEV stays attached to the wing throughout the downstoke and does not show the complex structures found in insects. This suggests that bats are able to control the development of the LEV and potential control mechanisms are discussed. (papers)

Leading-edge flow criticality as a governing factor in leading-edge vortex initiation in unsteady airfoil flows

Science.gov (United States)

Ramesh, Kiran; Granlund, Kenneth; Ol, Michael V.; Gopalarathnam, Ashok; Edwards, Jack R.

2018-04-01

A leading-edge suction parameter (LESP) that is derived from potential flow theory as a measure of suction at the airfoil leading edge is used to study initiation of leading-edge vortex (LEV) formation in this article. The LESP hypothesis is presented, which states that LEV formation in unsteady flows for specified airfoil shape and Reynolds number occurs at a critical constant value of LESP, regardless of motion kinematics. This hypothesis is tested and validated against a large set of data from CFD and experimental studies of flows with LEV formation. The hypothesis is seen to hold except in cases with slow-rate kinematics which evince significant trailing-edge separation (which refers here to separation leading to reversed flow on the aft portion of the upper surface), thereby establishing the envelope of validity. The implication is that the critical LESP value for an airfoil-Reynolds number combination may be calibrated using CFD or experiment for just one motion and then employed to predict LEV initiation for any other (fast-rate) motion. It is also shown that the LESP concept may be used in an inverse mode to generate motion kinematics that would either prevent LEV formation or trigger the same as per aerodynamic requirements.

PIV Study on Flow around Leading-Edge Slat of 30P30N Airfoil

Science.gov (United States)

Ando, Ryosuke; Onishi, Yusaku; Sakakibara, Jun

2017-11-01

We measured flow velocity distribution around leading-edge slat using PIV. Simultaneously, noise measurement using microphone was also performed. A leading-edge slat and main wing model having a chord length of 160 mm was placed in the tunnel with free stream velocity of about 26m/s and chord Reynolds number of 2.8 x 105. Angle of attack was changed from 4 degrees to 10 degrees at two degree intervals. In this experiment, we investigated the relationship between the unsteady flow condition and the noise. At 4 degrees in the angle of attack, vortices shedding from the slat cusp were moved to the downstream. At 6 degrees or more, flow velocity distributions show that vortices were reattached on the slat lower surface and the flow in the slat cove recirculated. In FFT analysis of noise measurement, at 6 degrees in the angle of attack, there were some peaks on low frequency area and dominant peak on high frequency area was found. At 8 degrees or more, there were also some peaks on low frequency area. But dominant peak on high frequency area disappeared.

Effect of a Finite Trailing Edge Thickness on the Drag of Rectangular and Delta Wings at Supersonic Speeds

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Klunker, E

1952-01-01

The effect of a finite trailing-edge thickness on the pressure drag of rectangular and delta wings with truncated diamond-shaped airfoil sections with a given thickness ratio is studied for supersonic...

Optimal pitching axis location of flapping wings for efficient hovering flight.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Q; Goosen, J F L; van Keulen, F

2017-09-01

Flapping wings can pitch passively about their pitching axes due to their flexibility, inertia, and aerodynamic loads. A shift in the pitching axis location can dynamically alter the aerodynamic loads, which in turn changes the passive pitching motion and the flight efficiency. Therefore, it is of great interest to investigate the optimal pitching axis for flapping wings to maximize the power efficiency during hovering flight. In this study, flapping wings are modeled as rigid plates with non-uniform mass distribution. The wing flexibility is represented by a linearly torsional spring at the wing root. A predictive quasi-steady aerodynamic model is used to evaluate the lift generated by such wings. Two extreme power consumption scenarios are modeled for hovering flight, i.e. the power consumed by a drive system with and without the capacity of kinetic energy recovery. For wings with different shapes, the optimal pitching axis location is found such that the cycle-averaged power consumption during hovering flight is minimized. Optimization results show that the optimal pitching axis is located between the leading edge and the mid-chord line, which shows close resemblance to insect wings. An optimal pitching axis can save up to 33% of power during hovering flight when compared to traditional wings used by most of flapping wing micro air vehicles (FWMAVs). Traditional wings typically use the straight leading edge as the pitching axis. With the optimized pitching axis, flapping wings show higher pitching amplitudes and start the pitching reversals in advance of the sweeping reversals. These phenomena lead to higher lift-to-drag ratios and, thus, explain the lower power consumption. In addition, the optimized pitching axis provides the drive system higher potential to recycle energy during the deceleration phases as compared to their counterparts. This observation underlines the particular importance of the wing pitching axis location for energy-efficient FWMAVs when

Aerodynamics of wings at low Reynolds numbers: Boundary layer separation and reattachment

Science.gov (United States)

McArthur, John

the drag increase is really caused by the formation of a laminar separation bubble. The results clearly indicate that the reverse is true, and that the subsequent drag decrease is caused by the laminar separation bubble. Part III. The leading edge vortex. Four wings with different sweep angles were studied at Reynolds number 5x104: sweep angles of 0, 20, 40, and 60 degrees. The wings had a simple cambered plate airfoil similar to the cambered airfoil of part I above. Each wing was built to have the same aspect ratio, wing area, and streamwise airfoil shape. Previous studies on bird wings speculate that simply sweeping the wings can cause a leading edge vortex to form, which could cause substantial improvements in performance. However, these studies were not well controlled, and were conducted from a biological perspective. Qualitative and quantitative flow field measurements were combined with force measurements to conduct a well controlled engineering experiment on the formation and effect of a leading edge vortex on simple swept wings. A stable vortex was found to form over the 60 degree swept wing at one particular angle of attack, but it was not similar to the traditional notion of a leading edge vortex. The vortex has a small radius, and extends over little of the span. Force measurements indicate that the vortex has no significant impact on the forces measured. Thus, simply sweeping a wing is not sufficient to form a significant leading edge vortex, and other effects must be considered.

Electro-Magnetic Flow Control to Enable Natural Laminar Flow Wings

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — This research team has developed a solid-state electromagnetic device that, when embedded along the leading edge of an aircraft wing, can disrupt laminar air flow on...

An experimental analysis of critical factors involved in the breakdown process of leading edge vortex flows. Ph.D. Thesis

Science.gov (United States)

Visser, Kenneth D.

1991-01-01

Experimental crosswire measurements of the flowfield above a 70 and 75 degree flat plate delta wing were performed at a Reynolds number of 250,000. Survey grids were taken normal to the platform at a series of chordwise locations for angles of attack of 20 and 30 degrees. Axial and azimuthal vorticity distributions were derived from the velocity fields. The dependence of circulation on distance from the vortex core as well as on chordwise location was examined. The effects of nondimensionalization in comparison with other experimental data was made. The circulation distribution scales with the local semispan and grows approximately linearly in the chordwise direction. For regions of the flow outside of the vortex subcore, the circulation at any chordwise station was observed to vary logarithmically with distance from the vortex axis. The circulation was also found to increase linearly with angle of incidence at a given chordwise station. A reduction in the local circulation about the vortex axis occurred at breakdown. The spanwise distribution of axial vorticity was severely altered through the breakdown region and the spanwise distribution of axial vorticity present appeared to reach a maximum immediately preceding breakdown. The local concentration of axial vorticity about the vortex axis was reduced while the magnitude of the azimuthal vorticity decreased throughout the breakdown zone. The axial vorticity components with a negative sense, found in the secondary vortex, remained unaffected by changes in wing sweep or angle of attack, in direct contrast to the positive components. The inclusion of the local wing geometry into a previously derived correlation parameter indicated that the circulation of growing leading edge vortex flows were similar at corresponding radii from the vortex axis. It was concluded that the flow over a delta wing, upstream of the breakdown regions and away from the apex and trailing edge regions, is conical. In addition, the dominating

Strain Gage Load Calibration of the Wing Interface Fittings for the Adaptive Compliant Trailing Edge Flap Flight Test

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Eric J.; Holguin, Andrew C.; Cruz, Josue; Lokos, William A.

2014-01-01

This is the presentation to follow conference paper of the same name. The adaptive compliant trailing edge (ACTE) flap experiment safety of flight requires that the flap to wing interface loads be sensed and monitored in real time to ensure that the wing structural load limits are not exceeded. This paper discusses the strain gage load calibration testing and load equation derivation methodology for the ACTE interface fittings. Both the left and right wing flap interfaces will be monitored and each contains four uniquely designed and instrumented flap interface fittings. The interface hardware design and instrumentation layout are discussed. Twenty one applied test load cases were developed using the predicted in-flight loads for the ACTE experiment.

Turbine Airfoil Leading Edge Film Cooling Bibliography: 1972–1998

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. M. Kercher

2000-01-01

Full Text Available Film cooling for turbine airfoil leading edges has been a common practice for at least 35 years as turbine inlet gas temperatures and pressures have continually increased along with cooling air temperatures for higher engine cycle efficiency. With substantial engine cycle performance improvements from higher gas temperatures, it has become increasingly necessary to film cool nozzle and rotor blade leading edges since external heat transfer coefficients and thus heat load are the highest in this airfoil region. Optimum cooling air requirements in this harsh environment has prompted a significant number of film cooling investigations and analytical studies reported over the past 25 years from academia, industry and government agencies. Substantial progress has been made in understanding the complex nature of leading edge film cooling from airfoil cascades, simulated airfoil leading edges and environment. This bibliography is a report of the open-literature references available which provide information on the complex aero–thermo interaction of leading edge gaseous film cooling with mainstream flow. From much of this investigative information has come successful operational leading edge film cooling design systems capable of sustaining airfoil leading edge durability in very hostile turbine environments.

Hovering hummingbird wing aerodynamics during the annual cycle. II. Implications of wing feather moult

Science.gov (United States)

Sapir, Nir; Elimelech, Yossef

2018-01-01

Birds usually moult their feathers in a particular sequence which may incur aerodynamic, physiological and behavioural implications. Among birds, hummingbirds are unique species in their sustained hovering flight. Because hummingbirds frequently hover-feed, they must maintain sufficiently high flight capacities even when moulting their flight feathers. A hummingbird wing consists of 10 primary flight feathers whose absence during moult may strongly affect wing performance. Using dynamic similarity rules, we compared time-accurate aerodynamic loads and flow field measurements over several wing geometries that follow the natural feather moult sequence of Calypte anna, a common hummingbird species in western North America. Our results suggest a drop of more than 20% in lift production during the early stages of the moult sequence in which mid-wing flight feathers are moulted. We also found that the wing's ability to generate lift strongly depended on the morphological integrity of the outer primaries and leading-edge. These findings may explain the evolution of wing morphology and moult attributes. Specifically, the high overlap between adjacent wing feathers, especially at the wing tip, and the slow sequential replacement of the wing feathers result in a relatively small reduction in wing surface area during moult with limited aerodynamic implications. We present power and efficiency analyses for hover flight during moult under several plausible scenarios, suggesting that body mass reduction could be a compensatory mechanism that preserves the energetic costs of hover flight. PMID:29515884

A computational study on the influence of insect wing geometry on bee flight mechanics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jeffrey Feaster

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Two-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD is applied to better understand the effects of wing cross-sectional morphology on flow field and force production. This study investigates the influence of wing cross-section on insect scale flapping flight performance, for the first time, using a morphologically representative model of a bee (Bombus pensylvanicus wing. The bee wing cross-section was determined using a micro-computed tomography scanner. The results of the bee wing are compared with flat and elliptical cross-sections, representative of those used in modern literature, to determine the impact of profile variation on aerodynamic performance. The flow field surrounding each cross-section and the resulting forces are resolved using CFD for a flight speed range of 1 to 5 m/s. A significant variation in vortex formation is found when comparing the ellipse and flat plate with the true bee wing. During the upstroke, the bee and approximate wing cross-sections have a much shorter wake structure than the flat plate or ellipse. During the downstroke, the flat plate and elliptical cross-sections generate a single leading edge vortex, while the approximate and bee wings generate numerous, smaller structures that are shed throughout the stroke. Comparing the instantaneous aerodynamic forces on the wing, the ellipse and flat plate sections deviate progressively with velocity from the true bee wing. Based on the present findings, a simplified cross-section of an insect wing can misrepresent the flow field and force production. We present the first aerodynamic study using a true insect wing cross-section and show that the wing corrugation increases the leading edge vortex formation frequency for a given set of kinematics.

DISCOVERY OF AN EDGE-ON DEBRIS DISK WITH A DUST RING AND AN OUTER DISK WING-TILT ASYMMETRY

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kasper, Markus; Apai, Dániel; Wagner, Kevin; Robberto, Massimo

2015-01-01

Using Very Large Telescope/SPHERE near-infrared dual-band imaging and integral field spectroscopy, we discovered an edge-on debris disk around the 17 Myr old A-type member of the Scorpius–Centaurus OB association HD 110058. The edge-on disk can be traced to about 0.″6 or 65 AU projected separation. In its northern and southern wings, the disk shows at all wavelengths two prominent, bright, and symmetrically placed knots at 0.″3 or 32 AU from the star. We interpret these knots as a ring of planetesimals whose collisions may produce most of the dust observed in the disk. We find no evidence for a bow in the disk, but we identify a pair of symmetric, hooklike features in both wings. Based on similar features in the Beta Pictoris disk, we propose that this wing-tilt asymmetry traces either an outer planetesimal belt that is inclined with respect to the disk midplane or radiation-pressure-driven dust blown out from a yet unseen inner belt that is inclined with respect to the disk midplane. The misaligned inner or outer disk may be a result of interaction with a yet unseen planet. Overall, the disk geometry resembles the nearby disk around Beta Pictoris, albeit seen at smaller radial scales

Application of slender wing benefits to military aircraft

Science.gov (United States)

Polhamus, E. C.

1983-01-01

A review is provided of aerodynamic research conducted at the Langley Research Center with respect to the application of slender wing benefits in the design of high-speed military aircraft, taking into account the supersonic performance and leading-edge vortex flow associated with very highly sweptback wings. The beginning of the development of modern classical swept wing jet aircraft is related to the German Me 262 project during World War II. In the U.S., a theoretical study conducted by Jones (1945) pointed out the advantages of the sweptback wing concept. Developments with respect to variable sweep wings are discussed, taking into account early research in 1946, a joint program of the U.S. with the United Kingdom, the tactical aircraft concept, and the important part which the Langley variable-sweep research program played in the development of the F-111, F-14, and B-1. Attention is also given to hybrid wings, vortex flow theory development, and examples of flow design technology.

Unsteady surface pressure measurements on a slender delta wing undergoing limit cycle wing rock

Science.gov (United States)

Arena, Andrew S., Jr.; Nelson, Robert C.

1991-01-01

An experimental investigation of slender wing limit cycle motion known as wing rock was investigated using two unique experimental systems. Dynamic roll moment measurements and visualization data on the leading edge vortices were obtained using a free to roll apparatus that incorporates an airbearing spindle. In addition, both static and unsteady surface pressure data was measured on the top and bottom surfaces of the model. To obtain the unsteady surface pressure data a new computer controller drive system was developed to accurately reproduce the free to roll time history motions. The data from these experiments include, roll angle time histories, vortex trajectory data on the position of the vortices relative to the model's surface, and surface pressure measurements as a function of roll angle when the model is stationary or undergoing a wing rock motion. The roll time history data was numerically differentiated to determine the dynamic roll moment coefficient. An analysis of these data revealed that the primary mechanism for the limit cycle behavior was a time lag in the position of the vortices normal to the wing surface.

Experimental study of flow field distribution over a generic cranked double delta wing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mojtaba Dehghan Manshadi

2016-10-01

Full Text Available The flow fields over a generic cranked double delta wing were investigated. Pressure and velocity distributions were obtained using a Pitot tube and a hot wire anemometer. Two different leading edge shapes, namely “sharp” and “round”, were applied to the wing. The wing had two sweep angles of 55° and 30°. The experiments were conducted in a closed circuit wind tunnel at velocity 20 m/s and angles of attack of 5°–20° with the step of 5°. The Reynolds number of the model was about 2 × 105 according to the root chord. A dual vortex structure was formed above the wing surface. A pressure drop occurred at the vortex core and the root mean square of the measured velocity increased at the core of the vortices, reflecting the instability of the flow in that region. The magnitude of power spectral density increased strongly in spanwise direction and had the maximum value at the vortex core. By increasing the angle of attack, the pressure drop increased and the vortices became wider; the vortices moved inboard along the wing, and away from the surface; the flow separation was initiated from the outer portion of the wing and developed to its inner part. The vortices of the wing of the sharp leading edge were stronger than those of the round one.

Power reduction and the radial limit of stall delay in revolving wings of different aspect ratio.

Science.gov (United States)

Kruyt, Jan W; van Heijst, GertJan F; Altshuler, Douglas L; Lentink, David

2015-04-06

Airplanes and helicopters use high aspect ratio wings to reduce the power required to fly, but must operate at low angle of attack to prevent flow separation and stall. Animals capable of slow sustained flight, such as hummingbirds, have low aspect ratio wings and flap their wings at high angle of attack without stalling. Instead, they generate an attached vortex along the leading edge of the wing that elevates lift. Previous studies have demonstrated that this vortex and high lift can be reproduced by revolving the animal wing at the same angle of attack. How do flapping and revolving animal wings delay stall and reduce power? It has been hypothesized that stall delay derives from having a short radial distance between the shoulder joint and wing tip, measured in chord lengths. This non-dimensional measure of wing length represents the relative magnitude of inertial forces versus rotational accelerations operating in the boundary layer of revolving and flapping wings. Here we show for a suite of aspect ratios, which represent both animal and aircraft wings, that the attachment of the leading edge vortex on a revolving wing is determined by wing aspect ratio, defined with respect to the centre of revolution. At high angle of attack, the vortex remains attached when the local radius is shorter than four chord lengths and separates outboard on higher aspect ratio wings. This radial stall limit explains why revolving high aspect ratio wings (of helicopters) require less power compared with low aspect ratio wings (of hummingbirds) at low angle of attack and vice versa at high angle of attack. © 2015 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.

Investigation of vortex breakdown on a delta wing using Euler and Navier-Stokes equations

Science.gov (United States)

Agrawal, S.; Barnett, R. M.; Robinson, B. A.

1991-01-01

A numerical investigation of leading edge vortex breakdown in a delta wing at high angles of attack is presented. The analysis was restricted to low speed flows on a flat plate wing with sharp leading edges. Both Euler and Navier-Stokes equations were used and the results were compared with experimental data. Predictions of vortex breakdown progression with angle of attack with both Euler and Navier-Stokes equations are shown to be consistent with the experimental data. However, the Navier-Stokes predictions show significant improvements in breakdown location at angles of attack where the vortex breakdown approaches the wing apex. The predicted trajectories of the primary vortex are in very good agreement with the test data, the laminar solutions providing the overall best comparison. The Euler shows a small displacement of the primary vortex, relative to experiment, due to the lack of secondary vortices. The turbulent Navier-Stokes, in general, fall between the Euler and laminar solutions.

Stiffness requirement of flexible skin for variable trailing-edge camber wing

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

无

2010-01-01

The method for analyzing the deformation of flexible skin under the air loads was developed based on the panel method and finite element method.The deformation of flexible skin under air pressures and effects of the local deformation on the aerodynamic characteristics were discussed.Numerical results show that the flexible skin on the upper surface of trailing-edge will bubble under the air loads and the bubble has a powerful effect on the aerodynamic pressure near the surface of local deforma-tion.Then the stiffness requirements for flexible skin of variable trailing-edge were given by using the Jacobs rule,i.e.,the maximum displacement of skin is not greater than 0.1% of wing chord.Results show that the in-plane stiffness can be reduced by increasing the ratio of bending stiffness to in-plane stiffness.Although the deformation of flexible skin increases with the in-plane stiffness decreasing,it depends on the bending stiffness.When the bending stiffness exceeds critical value,the deformation of flexible skin only depends on the bending stiffness and has nothing to do with the in-plane stiffness.The conclusions can be used for the structural design of flexible skin.

Do the Golden-winged Warbler and Blue-winged Warbler Exhibit Species-specific Differences in their Breeding Habitat Use?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laura L. Patton

2010-12-01

Full Text Available We compared habitat features of Golden-winged Warbler (Vermivora chrysoptera territories in the presence and absence of the Blue-winged Warbler (V. cyanoptera on reclaimed coal mines in southeastern Kentucky, USA. Our objective was to determine whether there are species specific differences in habitat that can be manipulated to encourage population persistence of the Golden-winged Warbler. When compared with Blue-winged Warblers, Golden-winged Warblers established territories at higher elevations and with greater percentages of grass and canopy cover. Mean territory size (minimum convex polygon was 1.3 ha (se = 0.1 for Golden-winged Warbler in absence of Blue-winged Warbler, 1.7 ha (se = 0.3 for Golden-winged Warbler coexisting with Blue-winged Warbler, and 2.1 ha (se = 0.3 for Blue-winged Warbler. Territory overlap occurred within and between species (18 of n = 73 territories, 24.7%. All Golden-winged and Blue-winged Warblers established territories that included an edge between reclaimed mine land and mature forest, as opposed to establishing territories in open grassland/shrubland habitat. The mean distance territories extended from a forest edge was 28.0 m (se = 3.8 for Golden-winged Warbler in absence of Blue-winged Warbler, 44.7 m (se = 5.7 for Golden-winged Warbler coexisting with Blue-winged Warbler, and 33.1 m (se = 6.1 for Blue-winged Warbler. Neither territory size nor distances to forest edges differed significantly between Golden-winged Warbler in presence or absence of Blue-winged Warbler. According to Monte Carlo analyses, orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata, green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica seedlings and saplings, and black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia saplings were indicative of sites with only Golden-winged Warblers. Sericea lespedeza, goldenrod (Solidago spp., clematis vine (Clematis spp., and blackberry (Rubus spp. were indicative of sites where both species occurred. Our findings complement recent genetic studies and add

Adaptive computations of flow around a delta wing with vortex breakdown

Science.gov (United States)

Modiano, David L.; Murman, Earll M.

1993-01-01

An adaptive unstructured mesh solution method for the three-dimensional Euler equations was used to simulate the flow around a sharp edged delta wing. Emphasis was on the breakdown of the leading edge vortex at high angle of attack. Large values of entropy, which indicate vortical regions of the flow, specified the region in which adaptation was performed. The aerodynamic normal force coefficients show excellent agreement with wind tunnel data measured by Jarrah, and demonstrate the importance of adaptation in obtaining an accurate solution. The pitching moment coefficient and the location of vortex breakdown are compared with experimental data measured by Hummel and Srinivasan, showing good agreement in cases in which vortex breakdown is located over the wing.

What is the critical height of leading edge roughness for aerodynamics?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bak, Christian; Gaunaa, Mac; Olsen, Anders Smærup

2016-01-01

-C2-18 and at three different Reynolds numbers with two different leading edge roughness tape heights. Firstly, an analysis of the momentum thickness as function of Reynolds number was carried out based on the boundary layer theory by Thwaites. Secondly, the wind tunnel measurements combined......In this paper the critical leading edge roughness height is analyzed in two cases: 1) leading edge roughness influencing the lift-drag ratio and 2) leading edge roughness influencing the maximum lift. The analysis was based on wind tunnel measurements on the airfoils NACA0015, Risoe-B1-18 and Risoe...

Wave drag as the objective function in transonic fighter wing optimization

Science.gov (United States)

Phillips, P. S.

1984-01-01

The original computational method for determining wave drag in a three dimensional transonic analysis method was replaced by a wave drag formula based on the loss in momentum across an isentropic shock. This formula was used as the objective function in a numerical optimization procedure to reduce the wave drag of a fighter wing at transonic maneuver conditions. The optimization procedure minimized wave drag through modifications to the wing section contours defined by a wing profile shape function. A significant reduction in wave drag was achieved while maintaining a high lift coefficient. Comparisons of the pressure distributions for the initial and optimized wing geometries showed significant reductions in the leading-edge peaks and shock strength across the span.

The marginal band system in nymphalid butterfly wings.

Science.gov (United States)

Taira, Wataru; Kinjo, Seira; Otaki, Joji M

2015-01-01

Butterfly wing color patterns are highly complex and diverse, but they are believed to be derived from the nymphalid groundplan, which is composed of several color pattern systems. Among these pattern systems, the marginal band system, including marginal and submarginal bands, has rarely been studied. Here, we examined the color pattern diversity of the marginal band system among nymphalid butterflies. Marginal and submarginal bands are usually expressed as a pair of linear bands aligned with the wing margin. However, a submarginal band can be expressed as a broken band, an elongated oval, or a single dot. The marginal focus, usually a white dot at the middle of a wing compartment along the wing edge, corresponds to the pupal edge spot, one of the pupal cuticle spots that signify the locations of color pattern organizing centers. A marginal band can be expressed as a semicircle, an elongated oval, or a pair of eyespot-like structures, which suggest the organizing activity of the marginal focus. Physical damage at the pupal edge spot leads to distal dislocation of the submarginal band in Junonia almana and in Vanessa indica, suggesting that the marginal focus functions as an organizing center for the marginal band system. Taken together, we conclude that the marginal band system is developmentally equivalent to other symmetry systems. Additionally, the marginal band is likely a core element and the submarginal band a paracore element of the marginal band system, and both bands are primarily specified by the marginal focus organizing center.

Clap-and-fling mechanism in a hovering insect-like two-winged flapping-wing micro air vehicle.

Science.gov (United States)

Phan, Hoang Vu; Au, Thi Kim Loan; Park, Hoon Cheol

2016-12-01

This study used numerical and experimental approaches to investigate the role played by the clap-and-fling mechanism in enhancing force generation in hovering insect-like two-winged flapping-wing micro air vehicle (FW-MAV). The flapping mechanism was designed to symmetrically flap wings at a high flapping amplitude of approximately 192°. The clap-and-fling mechanisms were thereby implemented at both dorsal and ventral stroke reversals. A computational fluid dynamic (CFD) model was constructed based on three-dimensional wing kinematics to estimate the force generation, which was validated by the measured forces using a 6-axis load cell. The computed forces proved that the CFD model provided reasonable estimation with differences less than 8%, when compared with the measured forces. The measurement indicated that the clap and flings at both the stroke reversals augmented the average vertical force by 16.2% when compared with the force without the clap-and-fling effect. In the CFD simulation, the clap and flings enhanced the vertical force by 11.5% and horizontal drag force by 18.4%. The observations indicated that both the fling and the clap contributed to the augmented vertical force by 62.6% and 37.4%, respectively, and to the augmented horizontal drag force by 71.7% and 28.3%, respectively. The flow structures suggested that a strong downwash was expelled from the opening gap between the trailing edges during the fling as well as the clap at each stroke reversal. In addition to the fling phases, the influx of air into the low-pressure region between the wings from the leading edges also significantly contributed to augmentation of the vertical force. The study conducted for high Reynolds numbers also confirmed that the effect of the clap and fling was insignificant when the minimum distance between the two wings exceeded 1.2c (c = wing chord). Thus, the clap and flings were successfully implemented in the FW-MAV, and there was a significant improvement in the

Variable Camber Continuous Aerodynamic Control Surfaces and Methods for Active Wing Shaping Control

Science.gov (United States)

Nguyen, Nhan T. (Inventor)

2016-01-01

An aerodynamic control apparatus for an air vehicle improves various aerodynamic performance metrics by employing multiple spanwise flap segments that jointly form a continuous or a piecewise continuous trailing edge to minimize drag induced by lift or vortices. At least one of the multiple spanwise flap segments includes a variable camber flap subsystem having multiple chordwise flap segments that may be independently actuated. Some embodiments also employ a continuous leading edge slat system that includes multiple spanwise slat segments, each of which has one or more chordwise slat segment. A method and an apparatus for implementing active control of a wing shape are also described and include the determination of desired lift distribution to determine the improved aerodynamic deflection of the wings. Flap deflections are determined and control signals are generated to actively control the wing shape to approximate the desired deflection.

An Elongated Leading Edge Facilitates Rotation Flap Closure: In Vivo Demonstration.

Science.gov (United States)

Lichon, Vanessa; Barbosa, Naiara; Gomez, Doug; Goldman, Glenn

2016-01-01

Variation in the design of a rotation flap may affect wound closure tension. Lengthening the leading edge of a rotation flap has been a method of reducing the tension of closure in the primary motion. An in vitro study negating this tenant has been published. The authors set out to design an in vivo experiment to determine if lengthening the leading edge of a rotation flap has the effect of reducing closure tension in the primary motion of the repair. An animal study approved by Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee was undertaken in a pig model. A tension-measuring apparatus was designed using Teflon-coated wires and digital tensiometers. Rotation flaps of a standard design and with elongated leading edges were incised on the flanks of pigs under general anesthesia. Flap closure tensions were measured at points along the leading edge of the flap and in the secondary motion. Elongating the leading edge of a flap led to a statistically significant reduction in closure tension in the primary motion of the flap and at the flap tip. The secondary motion closure tensions were essentially unaffected. The authors confirm that elongating the leading edge of a standard rotation flap will reduce closure tension in the primary flap motion.

Hydrodynamic characteristics for flow around wavy wings with different wave lengths

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mi Jeong Kim

2012-12-01

Full Text Available The present study numerically investigates the effect of the wavy leading edge on hydrodynamic characteristics for the flow of rectangular wings with the low aspect ratio of 1.5. Five different wave lengths at fixed wavy amplitude have been considered. Numerical simulations are performed at a wide range of the angle of attack (0° ≤α ≤ 40° at one Reynolds number of 106. The wavy wings considered in this study did not experience enough lift drop to be defined as the stall, comparing with the smooth wing. However, in the pre-stall region, the wavy wings reveal the considerable loss of the lift, compared to the smooth wing. In the post-stall, the lift coefficients of the smooth wing and the wavy wings are not much different. The pressure coefficient, limiting streamlines and the iso-surface of the spanwise vorticity are also highlighted to examine the effect of the wave length on the flow structures.

Wind tunnel investigation of the interaction and breakdown characteristics of slender wing vortices at subsonic, transonic, and supersonic speeds

Science.gov (United States)

Erickson, Gary E.

1991-01-01

The vortex dominated aerodynamic characteristics of a generic 65 degree cropped delta wing model were studied in a wind tunnel at subsonic through supersonic speeds. The lee-side flow fields over the wing-alone configuration and the wing with leading edge extension (LEX) added were observed at M (infinity) equals 0.40 to 1.60 using a laser vapor screen technique. These results were correlated with surface streamline patterns, upper surface static pressure distributions, and six-component forces and moments. The wing-alone exhibited vortex breakdown and asymmetry of the breakdown location at the subsonic and transonic speeds. An earlier onset of vortex breakdown over the wing occurred at transonic speeds due to the interaction of the leading edge vortex with the normal shock wave. The development of a shock wave between the vortex and wing surface caused an early separation of the secondary boundary layer. With the LEX installed, wing vortex breakdown asymmetry did not occur up to the maximum angle of attack in the present test of 24 degrees. The favorable interaction of the LEX vortex with the wing flow field reduced the effects of shock waves on the wing primary and secondary vortical flows. The direct interaction of the wing and LEX vortex cores diminished with increasing Mach number. The maximum attainable vortex-induced pressure signatures were constrained by the vacuum pressure limit at the transonic and supersonic speeds.

Prediction of vortex breakdown on a delta wing

Science.gov (United States)

Agrawal, S.; Robinson, B. A.; Barnett, R. M.

1992-01-01

Recent studies of leading-edge vortex flows with computational fluid dynamics codes using Euler or Navier-Stokes formulations have shown fair agreement with experimental data. These studies have concentrated on simulating the flowfields associated with a sharp-edged flat plate 70 deg delta wing at angles of attack where vortex breakdown or burst is observed over the wing. There are, however, a number of discrepancies between the experimental data and the computed flowfields. The location of vortex breakdown in the computational solutions is seen to differ from the experimental data and to vary with changes in the computational grid and freestream Mach number. There also remain issues as to the validity of steady-state computations for cases which contain regions of unsteady flow, such as in the post-breakdown regions. As a partial response to these questions, a number of laminar Navier-Stokes solutions were examined for the 70 deg delta wing. The computed solutions are compared with an experimental database obtained at low subsonic speeds. The convergence of forces, moments and vortex breakdown locations are also analyzed to determine if the computed flowfields actually reach steady-state conditions.

Aerodynamic performance of a hovering hawkmoth with flexible wings: a computational approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Nakata, Toshiyuki; Liu, Hao

2012-02-22

Insect wings are deformable structures that change shape passively and dynamically owing to inertial and aerodynamic forces during flight. It is still unclear how the three-dimensional and passive change of wing kinematics owing to inherent wing flexibility contributes to unsteady aerodynamics and energetics in insect flapping flight. Here, we perform a systematic fluid-structure interaction based analysis on the aerodynamic performance of a hovering hawkmoth, Manduca, with an integrated computational model of a hovering insect with rigid and flexible wings. Aerodynamic performance of flapping wings with passive deformation or prescribed deformation is evaluated in terms of aerodynamic force, power and efficiency. Our results reveal that wing flexibility can increase downwash in wake and hence aerodynamic force: first, a dynamic wing bending is observed, which delays the breakdown of leading edge vortex near the wing tip, responsible for augmenting the aerodynamic force-production; second, a combination of the dynamic change of wing bending and twist favourably modifies the wing kinematics in the distal area, which leads to the aerodynamic force enhancement immediately before stroke reversal. Moreover, an increase in hovering efficiency of the flexible wing is achieved as a result of the wing twist. An extensive study of wing stiffness effect on aerodynamic performance is further conducted through a tuning of Young's modulus and thickness, indicating that insect wing structures may be optimized not only in terms of aerodynamic performance but also dependent on many factors, such as the wing strength, the circulation capability of wing veins and the control of wing movements.

Experimental Investigation on Aerodynamic Control of a Wing with Distributed Plasma Actuators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Han Menghu; Li Jun; Liang Hua; Zhao Guangyin; Niu Zhongguo

2015-01-01

Experimental investigation of active flow control on the aerodynamic performance of a flying wing is conducted. Subsonic wind tunnel tests are performed using a model of a 35° swept flying wing with an nanosecond dielectric barrier discharge (NS-DBD) plasma actuator, which is installed symmetrically on the wing leading edge. The lift and drag coefficient, lift-to-drag ratio and pitching moment coefficient are tested by a six-component force balance for a range of angles of attack. The results indicate that a 44.5% increase in the lift coefficient, a 34.2% decrease in the drag coefficient and a 22.4% increase in the maximum lift-to-drag ratio can be achieved as compared with the baseline case. The effects of several actuation parameters are also investigated, and the results show that control efficiency demonstrates a strong dependence on actuation location and frequency. Furthermore, we highlight the use of distributed plasma actuators at the leading edge to enhance the aerodynamic performance, giving insight into the different mechanism of separation control and vortex control, which shows tremendous potential in practical flow control for a broad range of angles of attack. (paper)

KRISTINA: Kinematic rib-based structural system for innovative adaptive trailing edge

Science.gov (United States)

Pecora, R.; Amoroso, F.; Magnifico, M.; Dimino, I.; Concilio, A.

2016-04-01

Nature teaches that the flight of the birds succeeds perfectly since they are able to change the shape of their wings in a continuous manner. The careful observation of this phenomenon has re-introduced in the recent research topics the study of "metamorphic" wing structures; these innovative architectures allow for the controlled wing shape adaptation to different flight conditions with the ultimate goal of getting desirable improvements such as the increase of aerodynamic efficiency or load control effectiveness. In this framework, the European research project SARISTU aimed at combining morphing and smart ideas to the leading edge, the trailing edge and the winglet of a large commercial airplane (EASA CS25 category) while assessing integrated technologies validation through high-speed wind tunnel test on a true scale outer wing segment. The design process of the adaptive trailing edge (ATED) addressed by SARISTU is here outlined, from the conceptual definition of the camber-morphing architecture up to the assessment of the device executive layout. Rational design criteria were implemented in order to preliminarily define ATED structural layout and the general configuration of the embedded mechanisms enabling morphing under the action of aerodynamic loads. Advanced FE analyses were then carried out and the robustness of adopted structural arrangements was proven in compliance with applicable airworthiness requirements.

An analytical model and scaling of chordwise flexible flapping wings in forward flight.

Science.gov (United States)

Kodali, Deepa; Kang, Chang-Kwon

2016-12-13

Aerodynamic performance of biological flight characterized by the fluid structure interaction of a flapping wing and the surrounding fluid is affected by the wing flexibility. One of the main challenges to predict aerodynamic forces is that the wing shape and motion are a priori unknown. In this study, we derive an analytical fluid-structure interaction model for a chordwise flexible flapping two-dimensional airfoil in forward flight. A plunge motion is imposed on the rigid leading-edge (LE) of teardrop shape and the flexible tail dynamically deforms. The resulting unsteady aeroelasticity is modeled with the Euler-Bernoulli-Theodorsen equation under a small deformation assumption. The two-way coupling is realized by considering the trailing-edge deformation relative to the LE as passive pitch, affecting the unsteady aerodynamics. The resulting wing deformation and the aerodynamic performance including lift and thrust agree well with high-fidelity numerical results. Under the dynamic balance, the aeroelastic stiffness decreases, whereas the aeroelastic stiffness increases with the reduced frequency. A novel aeroelastic frequency ratio is derived, which scales with the wing deformation, lift, and thrust. Finally, the dynamic similarity between flapping in water and air is established.

On the study of wavy leading-edge vanes to achieve low fan interaction noise

Science.gov (United States)

Tong, Fan; Qiao, Weiyang; Xu, Kunbo; Wang, Liangfeng; Chen, Weijie; Wang, Xunnian

2018-04-01

The application of wavy leading-edge vanes to reduce a single-stage axial fan noise is numerically studied. The aerodynamic and acoustic performance of the fan is numerically investigated using a hybrid unsteady Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS)/acoustic analogy method (Goldstein equations). First, the hybrid URANS/Goldstein method is developed and successfully validated against experiment results. Next, numerical simulations are performed to investigate the noise reduction effects of the wavy leading-edge vanes. The aerodynamic and acoustic performance is assessed for a fan with vanes equipped with two different wavy leading-edge profiles and compared with the performance of conventional straight leading-edge vanes. Results indicate that a fan with wavy leading-edge vanes produces lower interaction noise than the baseline fan without a significant loss in aerodynamic performance. In fact, it is demonstrated that wavy leading-edge vanes have the potential to lead to both aerodynamic and acoustic improvements. The two different wavy leading-edge profiles are shown to successfully reduce the fan tone sound power level by 1.2 dB and 4.3 dB, respectively. Fan efficiency is also improved by about 1% with one of the tested wavy leading-edge profiles. Large eddy simulation (LES) is also performed for a simplified fan stage model to assess the effects of wavy leading-edge vanes on the broadband fan noise. Results indicate that the overall sound power level of a fan can be reduced by about 4 dB with the larger wavy leading-edge profile. Finally, the noise reduction mechanisms are investigated and analysed. It is found that the wavy leading-edge profiles can induce significant streamwise vorticity around the leading-edge protuberances and reduce pressure fluctuations (especially at locations of wavy leading-edge hills) and unsteady forces on the stator vanes. The underlying mechanism of the reduced pressure fluctuations is also discussed by examining the magnitude

The Multipoint Global Shape Optimization of Flying Configuration with Movable Leading Edges Flaps

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adriana NASTASE

2012-12-01

Full Text Available The aerodynamical global optimized (GO shape of flying configuration (FC, at two cruising Mach numbers, can be realized by morphing. Movable leading edge flaps are used for this purpose. The equations of the surfaces of the wing, of the fuselage and of the flaps in stretched position are approximated in form of superpositions of homogeneous polynomes in two variables with free coefficients. These coefficients together with the similarity parameters of the planform of the FC are the free parameters of the global optimization. Two enlarged variational problems with free boundaries occur. The first one consists in the determination of the GO shape of the wing-fuselageFC, with the flaps in retracted position, which must be of minimum drag, at higher cruising Mach number. The second enlarged variational problem consists in the determination of the GO shape of the flaps in stretched position in such a manner that the entire FC shall be of minimum drag at the second lower Mach number. The iterative optimum-optimorum (OO theory of the author is used for the solving of these both enlarged variational problems. The inviscid GO shape of the FC is used only in the first step of iteration and the own developed hybrid solutions for the compressible Navier-Stokes partial-differential equations (PDEs are used for the determination of the friction drag coefficient and up the second step of iteration of OO theory.

Computational Fluid Dynamics Investigation of Vortex Breakdown for a Delta Wing at High Angle of Attack

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Freeman, Jacob

2003-01-01

... (a) in preparation for investigation of active control of vortex breakdown using steady, along- core blowing A flat delta-shaped half-wing with sharp leading edge and sweep angle of 600 was modeled...

Development of an aerodyanmic theory capable of predicting surface loads on slender wings with vortex flow

Science.gov (United States)

Gloss, B. B.; Johnson, F. T.

1976-01-01

The Boeing Commercial Airplane Company developed an inviscid three-dimensional lifting surface method that shows promise in being able to accurately predict loads, subsonic and supersonic, on wings with leading-edge separation and reattachment.

Characterization and Control of Vortex Breakdown over a Delta Wing at High Angles of Attack

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Mitchell, Anthony

2000-01-01

.... The goal of this research is the control of leading-edge vortex breakdown by open-loop, along-the-core blowing near the apex of a delta wing to improve lift and maneuverability at high angles of attack...

Numerical simulation of the effects of variation of angle of attack and sweep angle on vortex breakdown over delta wings

Science.gov (United States)

Ekaterinaris, J. A.; Schiff, Lewis B.

1990-01-01

In the present investigation of the vortical flowfield structure over delta wings at high angles of attack, three-dimensional Navier-Stokes numerical simulations were conducted to predict the complex leeward flowfield characteristics; these encompass leading-edge separation, secondary separation, and vortex breakdown. Attention is given to the effect on solution accuracy of circumferential grid-resolution variations in the vicinity of the wing leading edge, and well as to the effect of turbulence modeling on the solutions. When a critical angle-of-attack was reached, bubble-type vortex breakdown was found. With further angle-of-attack increase, a change from bubble-type to spiral-type vortex breakdown was predicted by the numerical solution.

Impact of Leading-Edge Orientation and Shape on Performance of Compressor Blades

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Powell, Jonathan D

2005-01-01

This thesis presents a Computation Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis of the aerodynamic performance of circular and elliptical leading edges of compressor blades, with a range of leading edge droop angles...

Flexible wings in flapping flight

Science.gov (United States)

Moret, Lionel; Thiria, Benjamin; Zhang, Jun

2007-11-01

We study the effect of passive pitching and flexible deflection of wings on the forward flapping flight. The wings are flapped vertically in water and are allowed to move freely horizontally. The forward speed is chosen by the flapping wing itself by balance of drag and thrust. We show, that by allowing the wing to passively pitch or by adding a flexible extension at its trailing edge, the forward speed is significantly increased. Detailed measurements of wing deflection and passive pitching, together with flow visualization, are used to explain our observations. The advantage of having a wing with finite rigidity/flexibility is discussed as we compare the current results with our biological inspirations such as birds and fish.

Hybrid Wing Body Aircraft Acoustic Test Preparations and Facility Upgrades

Science.gov (United States)

Heath, Stephanie L.; Brooks, Thomas F.; Hutcheson, Florence V.; Doty, Michael J.; Haskin, Henry H.; Spalt, Taylor B.; Bahr, Christopher J.; Burley, Casey L.; Bartram, Scott M.; Humphreys, William M.;

F-8 supercritical wing flight pressure, Boundary layer, and wake measurements and comparisons with wind tunnel data

Science.gov (United States)

Montoya, L. C.; Banner, R. D.

1977-01-01

Data for speeds from Mach 0.50 to Mach 0.99 are presented for configurations with and without fuselage area-rule additions, with and without leading-edge vortex generators, and with and without boundary-layer trips on the wing. The wing pressure coefficients are tabulated. Comparisons between the airplane and model data show that higher second velocity peaks occurred on the airplane wing than on the model wing. The differences were attributed to wind tunnel wall interference effects that caused too much rear camber to be designed into the wing. Optimum flow conditions on the outboard wing section occurred at Mach 0.98 at an angle of attack near 4 deg. The measured differences in section drag with and without boundary-layer trips on the wing suggested that a region of laminar flow existed on the outboard wing without trips.

EFFECT OF SWEEP ANGLE ON THE VORTICAL FLOW OVER DELTA WINGS AT AN ANGLE OF ATTACK OF 10°

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

JAMES BRETT

2014-12-01

Full Text Available CFD simulations have been used to analyse the vortical flows over sharp edged delta wings with differing sweep angles under subsonic conditions at an angle of attack of 10°. RANS simulations were validated against experimental data for a 65° sweep wing, with a flat cross-section, and the steadiness of the flow field was assessed by comparing the results against unsteady URANS and DES simulations. To assess the effect of sweep angle on the flow field, a range of sweep angles from 65° to 43° were simulated. For moderate sweep wings the primary vortex was observed to detach from the leading edge, undergoing vortex breakdown, and a weaker, replacement, "shadow" vortex was formed. The shadow vortex was observed for sweep angles of 50° and less, and resulted in reduced lift production near the wing tips loss of the stronger primary vortex.

Three-dimensional vortex wake structure of flapping wings in hovering flight.

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Bo; Roll, Jesse; Liu, Yun; Troolin, Daniel R; Deng, Xinyan

2014-02-06

Flapping wings continuously create and send vortices into their wake, while imparting downward momentum into the surrounding fluid. However, experimental studies concerning the details of the three-dimensional vorticity distribution and evolution in the far wake are limited. In this study, the three-dimensional vortex wake structure in both the near and far field of a dynamically scaled flapping wing was investigated experimentally, using volumetric three-component velocimetry. A single wing, with shape and kinematics similar to those of a fruitfly, was examined. The overall result of the wing action is to create an integrated vortex structure consisting of a tip vortex (TV), trailing-edge shear layer (TESL) and leading-edge vortex. The TESL rolls up into a root vortex (RV) as it is shed from the wing, and together with the TV, contracts radially and stretches tangentially in the downstream wake. The downwash is distributed in an arc-shaped region enclosed by the stretched tangential vorticity of the TVs and the RVs. A closed vortex ring structure is not observed in the current study owing to the lack of well-established starting and stopping vortex structures that smoothly connect the TV and RV. An evaluation of the vorticity transport equation shows that both the TV and the RV undergo vortex stretching while convecting downwards: a three-dimensional phenomenon in rotating flows. It also confirms that convection and secondary tilting and stretching effects dominate the evolution of vorticity.

Vortical flows over delta wings and numerical prediction of vortex breakdown

Science.gov (United States)

Ekaterinaris, J. A.; Schiff, Lewis B.

1990-01-01

Navier-Stokes solutions of subsonic vortical flow over a 75 deg sweep delta wing with a sharp leading edge are presented. The sensitivity of the solution to the numerical scheme is examined using both a partially upwind scheme and a scheme with central differencing in all directions. At moderate angles of attack, no vortex breakdown is observed, whereas the higher angle-of-attack cases exhibit breakdown. The effect of numerical grid density is investigated, and solutions that are obtained with various grid densities are compared with experimental data. An embedded grid approach is implemented to enable higher resolution in selected isolated flow regions, such as the leeward-side surface, the leading-edge vortical flow, and the vortex breakdown region.

Phased Acoustic Array Measurements of a 5.75 Percent Hybrid Wing Body Aircraft

Science.gov (United States)

Burnside, Nathan J.; Horne, William C.; Elmer, Kevin R.; Cheng, Rui; Brusniak, Leon

2016-01-01

Detailed acoustic measurements of the noise from the leading-edge Krueger flap of a 5.75 percent Hybrid Wing Body (HWB) aircraft model were recently acquired with a traversing phased microphone array in the AEDC NFAC (Arnold Engineering Development Complex, National Full Scale Aerodynamics Complex) 40- by 80-Foot Wind Tunnel at NASA Ames Research Center. The spatial resolution of the array was sufficient to distinguish between individual support brackets over the full-scale frequency range of 100 to 2875 Hertz. For conditions representative of landing and take-off configuration, the noise from the brackets dominated other sources near the leading edge. Inclusion of flight-like brackets for select conditions highlights the importance of including the correct number of leading-edge high-lift device brackets with sufficient scale and fidelity. These measurements will support the development of new predictive models.

Airframe Noise from a Hybrid Wing Body Aircraft Configuration

Science.gov (United States)

Hutcheson, Florence V.; Spalt, Taylor B.; Brooks, Thomas F.; Plassman, Gerald E.

2016-01-01

A high fidelity aeroacoustic test was conducted in the NASA Langley 14- by 22-Foot Subsonic Tunnel to establish a detailed database of component noise for a 5.8% scale HWB aircraft configuration. The model has a modular design, which includes a drooped and a stowed wing leading edge, deflectable elevons, twin verticals, and a landing gear system with geometrically scaled wheel-wells. The model is mounted inverted in the test section and noise measurements are acquired at different streamwise stations from an overhead microphone phased array and from overhead and sideline microphones. Noise source distribution maps and component noise spectra are presented for airframe configurations representing two different approach flight conditions. Array measurements performed along the aircraft flyover line show the main landing gear to be the dominant contributor to the total airframe noise, followed by the nose gear, the inboard side-edges of the LE droop, the wing tip/LE droop outboard side-edges, and the side-edges of deployed elevons. Velocity dependence and flyover directivity are presented for the main noise components. Decorrelation effects from turbulence scattering on spectral levels measured with the microphone phased array are discussed. Finally, noise directivity maps obtained from the overhead and sideline microphone measurements for the landing gear system are provided for a broad range of observer locations.

Superior Reproducibility of the Leading to Leading Edge and Inner to Inner Edge Methods in the Ultrasound Assessment of Maximum Abdominal Aortic Diameter

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Borgbjerg, Jens; Bøgsted, Martin; Lindholt, Jes S

2018-01-01

Objectives: Controversy exists regarding optimal caliper placement in ultrasound assessment of maximum abdominal aortic diameter. This study aimed primarily to determine reproducibility of caliper placement in relation to the aortic wall with the three principal methods: leading to leading edge...

Flow structures in end-view plane of slender delta wing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sahin Besir

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Present investigation focuses on unsteady flow structures in end-view planes at the trailing edge of delta wing, X/C=1.0, where consequences of vortex bursting and stall phenomena vary according to angles of attack over the range of 25° ≤ α ≤ 35° and yaw angles, β over the range of 0° ≤ β ≤ 20°. Basic features of counter rotating vortices in end-view planes of delta win with 70° sweep angle, Λ are examined both qualitatively and quantitatively using Rhodamine dye and the PIV system. In the light of present experiments it is seen that with increasing yaw angle, β symmetrical flow structure is disrupted continuously. Dispersed wind-ward side leading edge vortices cover a large part of flow domain, on the other hand, lee-ward side leading edge vortices cover only a small portion of flow domain.

Aerodynamics of a translating comb-like plate inspired by a fairyfly wing

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Seung Hun; Kim, Daegyoum

2017-08-01

Unlike the smooth wings of common insects or birds, micro-scale insects such as the fairyfly have a distinctive wing geometry, comprising a frame with several bristles. Motivated by this peculiar wing geometry, we experimentally investigated the flow structure of a translating comb-like wing for a wide range of gap size, angle of attack, and Reynolds number, Re = O(10) - O(103), and the correlation of these parameters with aerodynamic performance. The flow structures of a smooth plate without a gap and a comb-like plate are significantly different at high Reynolds number, while little difference was observed at the low Reynolds number of O(10). At low Reynolds number, shear layers that were generated at the edges of the tooth of the comb-like plate strongly diffuse and eventually block a gap. This gap blockage increases the effective surface area of the plate and alters the formation of leading-edge and trailing-edge vortices. As a result, the comb-like plate generates larger aerodynamic force per unit area than the smooth plate. In addition to a quasi-steady phase after the comb-like plate travels several chords, we also studied a starting phase of the shear layer development when the comb-like plate begins to translate from rest. While a plate with small gap size can generate aerodynamic force at the starting phase as effectively as at the quasi-steady phase, the aerodynamic force drops noticeably for a plate with a large gap because the diffusion of the developing shear layers is not enough to block the gap.

The lateral-directional characteristics of a 74-degree Delta wing employing gothic planform vortex flaps

Science.gov (United States)

Grantz, A. C.

1984-01-01

The low speed lateral/directional characteristics of a generic 74 degree delta wing body configuration employing the latest generation, gothic planform vortex flaps was determined. Longitudinal effects are also presented. The data are compared with theoretical estimates from VORSTAB, an extension of the Quasi vortex lattice Method of Lan which empirically accounts for vortex breakdown effects in the calculation of longitudinal and lateral/directional aerodynamic characteristics. It is indicated that leading edge deflections of 30 and 40 degrees reduce the magnitude of the wing effective dihedral relative to the baseline for a specified angle of attack or lift coefficient. For angles of attack greater than 15 degrees, these flap deflections reduce the configuration directional stability despite improved vertical tail effectiveness. It is shown that asymmetric leading edge deflections are inferior to conventional ailerons in generating rolling moments. VORSTAB calculations provide coarse lateral/directional estimates at low to moderate angles of attack. The theory does not account for vortex flow induced, vertical tail effects.

Hypersonic Engine Leading Edge Experiments in a High Heat Flux, Supersonic Flow Environment

Science.gov (United States)

Gladden, Herbert J.; Melis, Matthew E.

1994-01-01

A major concern in advancing the state-of-the-art technologies for hypersonic vehicles is the development of an aeropropulsion system capable of withstanding the sustained high thermal loads expected during hypersonic flight. Three aerothermal load related concerns are the boundary layer transition from laminar to turbulent flow, articulating panel seals in high temperature environments, and strut (or cowl) leading edges with shock-on-shock interactions. A multidisciplinary approach is required to address these technical concerns. A hydrogen/oxygen rocket engine heat source has been developed at the NASA Lewis Research Center as one element in a series of facilities at national laboratories designed to experimentally evaluate the heat transfer and structural response of the strut (or cowl) leading edge. A recent experimental program conducted in this facility is discussed and related to cooling technology capability. The specific objective of the experiment discussed is to evaluate the erosion and oxidation characteristics of a coating on a cowl leading edge (or strut leading edge) in a supersonic, high heat flux environment. Heat transfer analyses of a similar leading edge concept cooled with gaseous hydrogen is included to demonstrate the complexity of the problem resulting from plastic deformation of the structures. Macro-photographic data from a coated leading edge model show progressive degradation over several thermal cycles at aerothermal conditions representative of high Mach number flight.

Wind-tunnel investigation of a large-scale VTOL aircraft model with wing root and wing thrust augmentors. [Ames 40 by 80 foot wind tunnel

Science.gov (United States)

Aoyagi, K.; Aiken, T. N.

1979-01-01

Tests were conducted in the Ames 40 by 80 foot wind tunnel to determine the aerodynamic characteristics of a large-scale V/STOL aircraft model with thrust augmentors. The model had a double-delta wing of aspect ratio 1.65 with augmentors located in the wing root and the wing trailing edge. The supply air for the augmentor primary nozzles was provided by the YJ-97 turbojet engine. The airflow was apportioned approximately 74 percent to the wing root augmentor and 24 percent to wing augmentor. Results were obtained at several trailing-edge flap deflections with the nozzle jet-momentum coefficients ranging from 0 to 7.9. Three-component longitudinal data are presented with the agumentor operating with and without the horizontal tail. A limited amount of six component data are also presented.

The development of a capability for aerodynamic testing of large-scale wing sections in a simulated natural rain environment

Science.gov (United States)

Bezos, Gaudy M.; Cambell, Bryan A.; Melson, W. Edward

1989-01-01

A research technique to obtain large-scale aerodynamic data in a simulated natural rain environment has been developed. A 10-ft chord NACA 64-210 wing section wing section equipped with leading-edge and trailing-edge high-lift devices was tested as part of a program to determine the effect of highly-concentrated, short-duration rainfall on airplane performance. Preliminary dry aerodynamic data are presented for the high-lift configuration at a velocity of 100 knots and an angle of attack of 18 deg. Also, data are presented on rainfield uniformity and rainfall concentration intensity levels obtained during the calibration of the rain simulation system.

An experimental study of the nonlinear dynamic phenomenon known as wing rock

Science.gov (United States)

Arena, A. S., Jr.; Nelson, R. C.; Schiff, L. B.

1990-01-01

An experimental investigation into the physical phenomena associated with limit cycle wing rock on slender delta wings has been conducted. The model used was a slender flat plate delta wing with 80-deg leading edge sweep. The investigation concentrated on three main areas: motion characteristics obtained from time history plots, static and dynamic flow visualization of vortex position, and static and dynamic flow visualization of vortex breakdown. The flow visualization studies are correlated with model motion to determine the relationship between vortex position and vortex breakdown with the dynamic rolling moments. Dynamic roll moment coefficient curves reveal rate-dependent hysteresis, which drives the motion. Vortex position correlated with time and model motion show a time lag in the normal position of the upward moving wing vortex. This time lag may be the mechanism responsible for the hysteresis. Vortex breakdown is shown to have a damping effect on the motion.

Membrane tension controls adhesion positioning at the leading edge of cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Pontes, Bruno; Monzo, Pascale; Gole, Laurent; Le Roux, Anabel-Lise; Kosmalska, Anita Joanna; Tam, Zhi Yang; Luo, Weiwei; Kan, Sophie; Viasnoff, Virgile; Roca-Cusachs, Pere; Tucker-Kellogg, Lisa; Gauthier, Nils C

2017-09-04

Cell migration is dependent on adhesion dynamics and actin cytoskeleton remodeling at the leading edge. These events may be physically constrained by the plasma membrane. Here, we show that the mechanical signal produced by an increase in plasma membrane tension triggers the positioning of new rows of adhesions at the leading edge. During protrusion, as membrane tension increases, velocity slows, and the lamellipodium buckles upward in a myosin II-independent manner. The buckling occurs between the front of the lamellipodium, where nascent adhesions are positioned in rows, and the base of the lamellipodium, where a vinculin-dependent clutch couples actin to previously positioned adhesions. As membrane tension decreases, protrusion resumes and buckling disappears, until the next cycle. We propose that the mechanical signal of membrane tension exerts upstream control in mechanotransduction by periodically compressing and relaxing the lamellipodium, leading to the positioning of adhesions at the leading edge of cells. © 2017 Pontes et al.

On the effect of leading edge blowing on circulation control airfoil aerodynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Mclachlan, B. G.

1987-01-01

In the present context the term circulation control is used to denote a method of lift generation that utilizes tangential jet blowing over the upper surface of a rounded trailing edge airfoil to determine the location of the boundary layer separation points, thus setting an effective Kutta condition. At present little information exists on the flow structure generated by circulation control airfoils under leading edge blowing. Consequently, no theoretical methods exist to predict airfoil performance under such conditions. An experimental study of the flow field generated by a two dimensional circulation control airfoil under steady leading and trailing edge blowing was undertaken. The objective was to fundamentally understand the overall flow structure generated and its relation to airfoil performance. Flow visualization was performed to define the overall flow field structure. Measurements of the airfoil forces were also made to provide a correlation of the observed flow field structure to airfoil performance. Preliminary results are presented, specifically on the effect on the flow field structure of leading edge blowing, alone and in conjunction with trailing edge blowing.

Effect of leading-edge geometry on boundary-layer receptivity to freestream sound

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Nay; Reed, Helen L.; Saric, W. S.

1991-01-01

The receptivity to freestream sound of the laminar boundary layer over a semi-infinite flat plate with an elliptic leading edge is simulated numerically. The incompressible flow past the flat plate is computed by solving the full Navier-Stokes equations in general curvilinear coordinates. A finite-difference method which is second-order accurate in space and time is used. Spatial and temporal developments of the Tollmien-Schlichting wave in the boundary layer, due to small-amplitude time-harmonic oscillations of the freestream velocity that closely simulate a sound wave travelling parallel to the plate, are observed. The effect of leading-edge curvature is studied by varying the aspect ratio of the ellipse. The boundary layer over the flat plate with a sharper leading edge is found to be less receptive. The relative contribution of the discontinuity in curvature at the ellipse-flat-plate juncture to receptivity is investigated by smoothing the juncture with a polynomial. Continuous curvature leads to less receptivity. A new geometry of the leading edge, a modified super ellipse, which provides continuous curvature at the juncture with the flat plate, is used to study the effect of continuous curvature and inherent pressure gradient on receptivity.

A unified viscous theory of lift and drag of 2-D thin airfoils and 3-D thin wings

Science.gov (United States)

Yates, John E.

1991-01-01

A unified viscous theory of 2-D thin airfoils and 3-D thin wings is developed with numerical examples. The viscous theory of the load distribution is unique and tends to the classical inviscid result with Kutta condition in the high Reynolds number limit. A new theory of 2-D section induced drag is introduced with specific applications to three cases of interest: (1) constant angle of attack; (2) parabolic camber; and (3) a flapped airfoil. The first case is also extended to a profiled leading edge foil. The well-known drag due to absence of leading edge suction is derived from the viscous theory. It is independent of Reynolds number for zero thickness and varies inversely with the square root of the Reynolds number based on the leading edge radius for profiled sections. The role of turbulence in the section induced drag problem is discussed. A theory of minimum section induced drag is derived and applied. For low Reynolds number the minimum drag load tends to the constant angle of attack solution and for high Reynolds number to an approximation of the parabolic camber solution. The parabolic camber section induced drag is about 4 percent greater than the ideal minimum at high Reynolds number. Two new concepts, the viscous induced drag angle and the viscous induced separation potential are introduced. The separation potential is calculated for three 2-D cases and for a 3-D rectangular wing. The potential is calculated with input from a standard doublet lattice wing code without recourse to any boundary layer calculations. Separation is indicated in regions where it is observed experimentally. The classical induced drag is recovered in the 3-D high Reynolds number limit with an additional contribution that is Reynold number dependent. The 3-D viscous theory of minimum induced drag yields an equation for the optimal spanwise and chordwise load distribution. The design of optimal wing tip planforms and camber distributions is possible with the viscous 3-D wing theory.

Pitch, roll, and yaw moment generator for insect-like tailless flapping-wing MAV

Science.gov (United States)

Phan, Hoang Vu; Park, Hoon Cheol

2016-04-01

In this work, we proposed a control moment generator, which is called Trailing Edge Change (TEC) mechanism, for attitudes change in hovering insect-like tailless flapping-wing MAV. The control moment generator was installed to the flapping-wing mechanism to manipulate the wing kinematics by adjusting the wing roots location symmetrically or asymmetrically. As a result, the mean aerodynamic force center of each wing is relocated and control moments are generated. The three-dimensional wing kinematics captured by three synchronized high-speed cameras showed that the flapping-wing MAV can properly modify the wing kinematics. In addition, a series of experiments were performed using a multi-axis load cell to evaluate the forces and moments generation. The measurement demonstrated that the TEC mechanism produced reasonable amounts of pitch, roll and yaw moments by shifting position of the trailing edges at the wing roots of the flapping-wing MAV.

Effects of Coupled Rolling and Pitching Oscillations on Transonic Shock-Induced Vortex-Breakdown Flow of a Delta Wing

Science.gov (United States)

Kandil, Osama A.; Menzies, Margaret A.

1996-01-01

Unsteady, transonic vortex-breakdown flow over a 65 deg. sharp edged, cropped-delta wing of zero thickness undergoing forced coupled pitching and rolling oscillations is investigated computationally. The initial condition of the flow is characterized by a transverse terminating shock which induces of the leading edge vortex cores to breakdown. The computational investigation uses the time-accurate solution of the laminar, unsteady, compressible, full Navier-Stokes equations with the implicit, upwind, Roe flux-difference splitting, finite-volume scheme. The main focus is to analyze the effects of coupled motion on the wing response and vortex-breakdown flow by varying oscillation frequency and phase angle while keeping the maximum pitch and roll amplitude equal.

Will leaded young mallards take wing? Effects of a single lead shot ingestion on growth of juvenile game-farm Mallard ducks Anas platyrhynchos

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Plouzeau, Eric; Guillard, Olivier; Pineau, Alain; Billiald, Philippe; Berny, Philippe

2011-01-01

This study aims to monitor retention of a single ingested lead shot in young mallards, and to evaluate effect on growth in relation to lead shot size class during late wing growth and the first wing molt period (8 to 12 weeks old). Toxicological tests, radiography and biometric measurements were conducted on 51 juvenile Mallard ducks. Forty one of them were given per os a single lead shot in three different commercially available sizes: No. 2 (LS2), No. 4 (LS4) and No. 6 (LS6). Less than 20% of total lead shots were found on X-rays at Day 21 (D) and none remained at D28, with mean retention time in gizzard calculated 12.85 ± 1.34 days for all treated groups. Young ducks developed high blood lead levels for each LS treatment at D15 in males and females, the maximal values being for LS2 (297.00 ± 78.64 μg/100 mL and 483.14 ± 83.70 μg/100 mL, respectively (p < 0.001)). Zinc protoporphyrin (ZPP) levels increased at D15 with LS2 and LS4 in males and only with LS6 in females. Treated ducks developed no symptoms of plumbism except light diarrhea, and at D40, all mallards had survived. We found that LS2 pellets released more lead in gizzards and produced the highest levels of blood lead, suggesting that LS2 pellets are more likely to intoxicate mallards than smaller sizes. The biometric measurements performed showed no statistical difference in weight or bill and wing length between control and treated groups, a finding suggesting that absorption of a single lead shot by young Mallard ducks does not affect their development during the first wing molt period, and appears not to compromise the flight capacity of young (post-juvenile) mallards. However, younger mallards and/or effects on growth of exposure to more than a single-shot dose still need to be investigated. - Research highlights: → The mean lead shot retention time in the digestive tract is shorter than expected. → The lead intoxication at D15 and D30 is confirmed in all mallards. → Size-class no. 2 lead

Will leaded young mallards take wing? Effects of a single lead shot ingestion on growth of juvenile game-farm Mallard ducks Anas platyrhynchos

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Plouzeau, Eric, E-mail: biozones@orange.fr [Museum National d' Histoire Naturelle, USM505 Ecosystemes et interactions toxiques, 12 rue Buffon, CP39, Paris Cedex 05 (France); Guillard, Olivier, E-mail: o.guillard@chu-poitiers.fr [CHU Poitiers, Laboratoire de biochimie 86021 Poitiers (France); Pineau, Alain, E-mail: alain.pineau@univ-nantes.fr [Universite Nantes, Faculte de Pharmacie, Laboratoire de Toxicologie 44000 Nantes (France); Billiald, Philippe, E-mail: billiald@mnhn.fr [Museum National d' Histoire Naturelle, USM505 Ecosystemes et interactions toxiques, 12 rue Buffon, CP39, Paris Cedex 05 (France); Berny, Philippe, E-mail: p.berny@vetagro-sup.fr [Laboratoire de Toxicologie, Ecole Nationale Veterinaire de Lyon, BP 83, 69280 Marcy L' Etoile (France)

2011-05-15

This study aims to monitor retention of a single ingested lead shot in young mallards, and to evaluate effect on growth in relation to lead shot size class during late wing growth and the first wing molt period (8 to 12 weeks old). Toxicological tests, radiography and biometric measurements were conducted on 51 juvenile Mallard ducks. Forty one of them were given per os a single lead shot in three different commercially available sizes: No. 2 (LS2), No. 4 (LS4) and No. 6 (LS6). Less than 20% of total lead shots were found on X-rays at Day 21 (D) and none remained at D28, with mean retention time in gizzard calculated 12.85 {+-} 1.34 days for all treated groups. Young ducks developed high blood lead levels for each LS treatment at D15 in males and females, the maximal values being for LS2 (297.00 {+-} 78.64 {mu}g/100 mL and 483.14 {+-} 83.70 {mu}g/100 mL, respectively (p < 0.001)). Zinc protoporphyrin (ZPP) levels increased at D15 with LS2 and LS4 in males and only with LS6 in females. Treated ducks developed no symptoms of plumbism except light diarrhea, and at D40, all mallards had survived. We found that LS2 pellets released more lead in gizzards and produced the highest levels of blood lead, suggesting that LS2 pellets are more likely to intoxicate mallards than smaller sizes. The biometric measurements performed showed no statistical difference in weight or bill and wing length between control and treated groups, a finding suggesting that absorption of a single lead shot by young Mallard ducks does not affect their development during the first wing molt period, and appears not to compromise the flight capacity of young (post-juvenile) mallards. However, younger mallards and/or effects on growth of exposure to more than a single-shot dose still need to be investigated. - Research highlights: {yields} The mean lead shot retention time in the digestive tract is shorter than expected. {yields} The lead intoxication at D15 and D30 is confirmed in all mallards

Turbine Airfoil With CMC Leading-Edge Concept Tested Under Simulated Gas Turbine Conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Robinson, R. Craig; Hatton, Kenneth S.

2000-01-01

Silicon-based ceramics have been proposed as component materials for gas turbine engine hot-sections. When the Navy s Harrier fighter experienced engine (Pegasus F402) failure because of leading-edge durability problems on the second-stage high-pressure turbine vane, the Office of Naval Research came to the NASA Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field for test support in evaluating a concept for eliminating the vane-edge degradation. The High Pressure Burner Rig (HPBR) was selected for testing since it could provide temperature, pressure, velocity, and combustion gas compositions that closely simulate the engine environment. The study focused on equipping the stationary metal airfoil (Pegasus F402) with a ceramic matrix composite (CMC) leading-edge insert and evaluating the feasibility and benefits of such a configuration. The test exposed the component, with and without the CMC insert, to the harsh engine environment in an unloaded condition, with cooling to provide temperature relief to the metal blade underneath. The insert was made using an AlliedSignal Composites, Inc., enhanced HiNicalon (Nippon Carbon Co. LTD., Yokohama, Japan) fiber-reinforced silicon carbide composite (SiC/SiC CMC) material fabricated via chemical vapor infiltration. This insert was 45-mils thick and occupied a recessed area in the leading edge and shroud of the vane. It was designed to be free floating with an end cap design. The HPBR tests provided a comparative evaluation of the temperature response and leading-edge durability and included cycling the airfoils between simulated idle, lift, and cruise flight conditions. In addition, the airfoils were aircooled, uniquely instrumented, and exposed to the exact set of internal and external conditions, which included gas temperatures in excess of 1370 C (2500 F). In addition to documenting the temperature response of the metal vane for comparison with the CMC, a demonstration of improved leading-edge durability was a primary goal. First, the

Comparison of measured and computed pitot pressures in a leading edge vortex from a delta wing

Science.gov (United States)

Murman, Earll M.; Powell, Kenneth G.

1987-01-01

Calculations are presented for a 75-deg swept flat plate wing tested at a freestream Mach number of 1.95 and 10 degrees angle of attack. Good agreement is found between computational data and previous experimental pitot pressure measurements in the core of the vortex, suggesting that the total pressure losses predicted by the Euler equation solvers are not errors, but realistic predictions. Data suggest that the magnitude of the total pressure loss is related to the circumferential velocity field through the vortex, and that it increases with angle of attack and varies with Mach number and sweep angle.

Application of a Beamforming Technique to the Measurement of Airfoil Leading Edge Noise

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thomas Geyer

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The present paper describes the use of microphone array technology and beamforming algorithms for the measurement and analysis of noise generated by the interaction of a turbulent flow with the leading edge of an airfoil. Experiments were performed using a setup in an aeroacoustic wind tunnel, where the turbulent inflow is provided by different grids. In order to exactly localize the aeroacoustic noise sources and, moreover, to separate airfoil leading edge noise from grid-generated noise, the selected deconvolution beamforming algorithm is extended to be used on a fully three-dimensional source region. The result of this extended beamforming are three-dimensional mappings of noise source locations. Besides acoustic measurements, the investigation of airfoil leading edge noise requires the measurement of parameters describing the incident turbulence, such as the intensity and a characteristic length scale or time scale. The method used for the determination of these parameters in the present study is explained in detail. To demonstrate the applicability of the extended beamforming algorithm and the experimental setup as a whole, the noise generated at the leading edge of airfoils made of porous materials was measured and compared to that generated at the leading edge of a common nonporous airfoil.

Flow structure and vorticity transport on a plunging wing

Science.gov (United States)

Eslam Panah, Azar

circulation, in magnitude, as the leading-edge shear layer flux. A small but non-negligible vorticity source was also attributed to spanwise flow toward the end of the downstroke. Preliminary measurements of the structure and dynamics of the leading-edge vortex (LEV) are also investigated for plunging finite-aspect-ratio wings at a chord Reynolds number of 10,000 while varying aspect ratio and root boundary condition. Stereoscopic particle image velocimetry (SPIV) measurements are used to characterize LEV dynamics and interactions with the plate in multiple chordwise planes. The relationship between the vorticity field and the spanwise flow field over the wing, and the influence of root boundary conditions on these quantities has been investigated. The viscous symmetry plane is found to influence this flow field, in comparison to other studies YiRo:2010,Vi:2011b,CaWaGuVi:2012, by influencing tilting of the LEV near the symmetry wall, and introducing a corewise root-to-tip flow near the symmetry plane. Modifications in the root boundary conditions are found to significantly affect this. LEV circulations for the different aspect ratio plates are also compared. At the bottom of the downstroke, the maximum circulation is found at the middle of the semi-span in each case. The circulation of the sAR=2 wing is found to significantly exceed that of the sAR=1 wing and, surprisingly, the maximum circulation value is found to be independent of root boundary conditions for thesAR=2 case and also closely matched that of the quasi-2D case. Furthermore, the 3-D flow field of a finite wing ofsAR=2 was characterized using three-dimensional reconstructions of planar PIV data after minimizing the gap between the plunging plate and the top stationary wall. The LEV on the finite wing rapidly evolved into an arch structure centered at approximately the 50% spanwise position, similar to previous observations by Calderon et al., and Yilmaz and Rockwell. At that location, the circulation contribution

Numerical simulation of X-wing type biplane flapping wings in 3D using the immersed boundary method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tay, W B; Van Oudheusden, B W; Bijl, H

2014-01-01

The numerical simulation of an insect-sized ‘X-wing’ type biplane flapping wing configuration is performed in 3D using an immersed boundary method solver at Reynolds numbers equal to 1000 (1 k) and 5 k, based on the wing's root chord length. This X-wing type flapping configuration draws its inspiration from Delfly, a bio-inspired ornithopter MAV which has two pairs of wings flapping in anti-phase in a biplane configuration. The objective of the present investigation is to assess the aerodynamic performance when the original Delfly flapping wing micro-aerial vehicle (FMAV) is reduced to the size of an insect. Results show that the X-wing configuration gives more than twice the average thrust compared with only flapping the upper pair of wings of the X-wing. However, the X-wing's average thrust is only 40% that of the upper wing flapping at twice the stroke angle. Despite this, the increased stability which results from the smaller lift and moment variation of the X-wing configuration makes it more suited for sharp image capture and recognition. These advantages make the X-wing configuration an attractive alternative design for insect-sized FMAVS compared to the single wing configuration. In the Reynolds number comparison, the vorticity iso-surface plot at a Reynolds number of 5 k revealed smaller, finer vortical structures compared to the simulation at 1 k, due to vortices’ breakup. In comparison, the force output difference is much smaller between Re = 1 k and 5 k. Increasing the body inclination angle generates a uniform leading edge vortex instead of a conical one along the wingspan, giving higher lift. Understanding the force variation as the body inclination angle increases will allow FMAV designers to optimize the thrust and lift ratio for higher efficiency under different operational requirements. Lastly, increasing the spanwise flexibility of the wings increases the thrust slightly but decreases the efficiency. The thrust result is similar

Measuring leading placental edge to internal cervical os: Transabdominal versus transvaginal approach

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Westerway, Susan Campbell; Hyett, Jon; Henning Pedersen, Lars

2017-01-01

We aimed to compare the value of transabdominal (TA) and transvaginal (TV) approaches for assessing the risk of a low-lying placenta. This involved a comparison of TA and TV measurements between the leading placental edge and the internal cervical os. We also assessed the intra-/interobserver var......We aimed to compare the value of transabdominal (TA) and transvaginal (TV) approaches for assessing the risk of a low-lying placenta. This involved a comparison of TA and TV measurements between the leading placental edge and the internal cervical os. We also assessed the intra......-/interobserver variation for these measurements and the efficacy of TA measures in screening for a low placenta. Methodology Transabdominal and TV measurements of the leading placental edge to the internal cervical os were performed on 369 consecutive pregnancies of 16–41 weeks' gestation. The difference (TA-TV) from...... the area under the receiver operator characteristics (ROC) curve. Intra-/interobserver variations were also calculated. Results Of the pregnancies, 278 had a leading placental edge that was visible with the TV approach. Differences (TA-TV) ranged from −50 mm to +57 mm. Bland-Altman plot shows that TA...

Investigation of vortex breakdown on delta wings using Navier-Stokes equations

Science.gov (United States)

Hsu, C.-H.; Liu, C. H.

1992-01-01

An efficient finite-difference scheme solving for the three-dimensional incompressible Navier-Stokes equations is described. Numerical simulations of vortex breakdown are then carried out for a sharp-edged delta wing and a round-edged double-delta wing at high Reynolds numbers. Computed results show that several major features of vortex breakdown are qualitatively in agreement with observations made in experiments.

A high-performance, low-cost, leading edge discriminator

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Abstract. A high-performance, low-cost, leading edge discriminator has been designed with a timing performance comparable to state-of-the-art, commercially available discrim- inators. A timing error of 16 ps is achieved under ideal operating conditions. Under more realistic operating conditions the discriminator displays a ...

Flight Testing of Novel Compliant Spines for Passive Wing Morphing on Ornithopters

Science.gov (United States)

Wissa, Aimy; Guerreiro, Nelson; Grauer, Jared; Altenbuchner, Cornelia; Hubbard, James E., Jr.; Tummala, Yashwanth; Frecker, Mary; Roberts, Richard

2013-01-01

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are proliferating in both the civil and military markets. Flapping wing UAVs, or ornithopters, have the potential to combine the agility and maneuverability of rotary wing aircraft with excellent performance in low Reynolds number flight regimes. The purpose of this paper is to present new free flight experimental results for an ornithopter equipped with one degree of freedom (1DOF) compliant spines that were designed and optimized in terms of mass, maximum von-Mises stress, and desired wing bending deflections. The spines were inserted in an experimental ornithopter wing spar in order to achieve a set of desired kinematics during the up and down strokes of a flapping cycle. The ornithopter was flown at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in the Air Force Research Laboratory Small Unmanned Air Systems (SUAS) indoor flight facility. Vicon motion tracking cameras were used to track the motion of the vehicle for five different wing configurations. The effect of the presence of the compliant spine on wing kinematics and leading edge spar deflection during flight is presented. Results show that the ornithopter with the compliant spine inserted in its wing reduced the body acceleration during the upstroke which translates into overall lift gains.

Numerical and experimental investigations on unsteady aerodynamics of flapping wings

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Meilin

the flow fields around a series of plunging NACA symmetric airfoils with thickness ratio ranging from 4.0% to 20.0% of the airfoil chord length. The contribution of viscous force to flapping propulsion is accessed and it is found that viscous force becomes thrust producing, instead of drag producing, and plays a non-negligible role in thrust generation for thin airfoils. This is closely related to the variations of the dynamics of the unsteady vortex structures around the plunging airfoils. As nature flyers use complex wing kinematics in flapping flight, kinematics effects on the aerodynamic performance with different airfoil thicknesses are numerically studied by using a series of NACA symmetric airfoils. It is found that the combined plunging and pitching motion can outperform the pure plunging or pitching motion by sophisticatedly adjusting the airfoil gestures during the oscillation stroke. The thin airfoil better manipulates leading edge vortices (LEVs) than the thick airfoil (NACA0030) does in studied cases, and there exists an optimal thickness for large thrust generation with reasonable propulsive efficiency. With the present kinematics and dynamic parameters, relatively low reduced frequency is conducive for thrust production and propulsive efficiency for all tested airfoil thicknesses. In order to obtain the optimal kinematics parameters of flapping flight, a kinematics optimization is then performed. A gradient-based optimization algorithm is coupled with a second-order SD Navier-Stokes solver to search for the optimal kinematics of a certain airfoil undergoing a combined plunging and pitching motion. Then a high-order SD scheme is used to verify the optimization results and reveal the detailed vortex structures associated with the optimal kinematics of the flapping flight. It is found that for the case with maximum propulsive efficiency, there exists no leading edge separation during most of the oscillation cycle. In order to provide constructive

Unsteady fluid dynamics around a hovering wing

Science.gov (United States)

Krishna, Swathi; Green, Melissa; Mulleners, Karen

2017-11-01

The unsteady flow around a hovering flat plate wing has been investigated experimentally using particle image velocimetry and direct force measurements. The measurements are conducted on a wing that rotates symmetrically about the stroke reversal at a reduced frequency of k = 0.32 and Reynolds number of Re = 220 . The Lagrangian finite-time Lyapunov exponent method is used to analyse the unsteady flow fields by identifying dynamically relevant flow features such as the primary leading edge vortex (LEV), secondary vortices, and topological saddles, and their evolution within a flapping cycle. The flow evolution is divided into four stages that are characterised by the LEV (a)emergence, (b)growth, (c)lift-off, and (d)breakdown and decay. Tracking saddle points is shown to be helpful in defining the LEV lift-off which occurs at the maximum stroke velocity. The flow fields are correlated with the aerodynamic forces revealing that the maximum lift and drag are observed just before LEV lift-off. The end of wing rotation in the beginning of the stroke stimulates a change in the direction of the LEV growth and the start of rotation at the end of the stroke triggers the breakdown of the LEV.

Coupled Rolling and Pitching Oscillation Effects on Transonic Shock-Induced Vortex-Breakdown Flow of a Delta Wing

Science.gov (United States)

Kandil, Osama A.; Menzies, Margaret A.

1996-01-01

Unsteady, transonic vortex dominated flow over a 65 deg. sharp edged, cropped-delta wing of zero thickness undergoing forced coupled pitching and rolling oscillations is investigated computationally. The wing mean angle of attack is 20 deg. and the free stream Mach number and Reynolds number are 0.85 and 3.23 x 10(exp 6), respectively. The initial condition of the flow is characterized by a transverse terminating shock and vortex breakdown of the leading edge vortex cores. The computational investigation uses the time-accurate solution of the laminar, unsteady, compressible, full Navier-Stokes equations with the implicit, upwind, Roe flux-difference splitting, finite volume scheme. The main focus is to analyze the effects of coupled motion on the wing response and vortex breakdown flow by varying oscillation frequency and phase angle while the maximum pitch and roll amplitude is kept constant at 4.0 deg. Four cases demonstrate the following: simultaneous motion at a frequency of 1(pi), motion with a 90 deg. phase lead in pitch, motion with a rolling frequency of twice the pitching frequency, and simultaneous motion at a frequency of 2(pi). Comparisons with single mode motion at these frequencies complete this study and illustrate the effects of coupling the oscillations.

Modification of the NACA 632-415 leading edge for better aerodynamic performance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bak, C.; Fuglsang, P.

2002-01-01

Double stall causes more than one power level when stall-regulated wind turbines operate in stall. This involves significant uncertainty on power production and loads. To avoid double stall, a new leading edge was designed for the NACA 632-415 airfoil, an airfoil that is often used in the tip...... region of wind turbines. A numerical optimization tool incorporating XFOIL was used with a special formulation for the airfoil leading edge shape. The EllipSys2D CFD code was used to analyze the modified airfoil. In theory and in wind tunnel tests, the modified airfoil showed smooth and stable stall...... stall and aerodynamic damping characteristics for the modified airfoil and the NACA 632-415 airfoil were the same. The modified airfoil with leading edge roughness in general had better characteristics compared with the NACA 632-415 airfoil. ©2002 ASME...

Ablative overlays for Space Shuttle leading edge ascent heat protection

Science.gov (United States)

Strauss, E. L.

1975-01-01

Ablative overlays were evaluated via a plasma-arc simulation of the ascent pulse on the leading edge of the Space Shuttle Orbiter. Overlay concepts included corkboard, polyisocyanurate foam, low-density Teflon, epoxy, and subliming salts. Their densities ranged from 4.9 to 81 lb per cu ft, and the thicknesses varied from 0.107 to 0.330 in. Swept-leading-edge models were fabricated from 30-lb per cu ft silicone-based ablators. The overlays were bonded to maintain the surface temperature of the base ablator below 500 F during ascent. Foams provided minimum-weight overlays, and subliming salts provided minimum-thickness overlays. Teflon left the most uniform surface after ascent heating.

Comparison of High-Fidelity Computational Tools for Wing Design of a Distributed Electric Propulsion Aircraft

Science.gov (United States)

Deere, Karen A.; Viken, Sally A.; Carter, Melissa B.; Viken, Jeffrey K.; Derlaga, Joseph M.; Stoll, Alex M.

2017-01-01

A variety of tools, from fundamental to high order, have been used to better understand applications of distributed electric propulsion to aid the wing and propulsion system design of the Leading Edge Asynchronous Propulsion Technology (LEAPTech) project and the X-57 Maxwell airplane. Three high-fidelity, Navier-Stokes computational fluid dynamics codes used during the project with results presented here are FUN3D, STAR-CCM+, and OVERFLOW. These codes employ various turbulence models to predict fully turbulent and transitional flow. Results from these codes are compared for two distributed electric propulsion configurations: the wing tested at NASA Armstrong on the Hybrid-Electric Integrated Systems Testbed truck, and the wing designed for the X-57 Maxwell airplane. Results from these computational tools for the high-lift wing tested on the Hybrid-Electric Integrated Systems Testbed truck and the X-57 high-lift wing presented compare reasonably well. The goal of the X-57 wing and distributed electric propulsion system design achieving or exceeding the required ?? (sub L) = 3.95 for stall speed was confirmed with all of the computational codes.

Pressure-Velocity Correlations in the Cove of a Leading Edge Slat

Science.gov (United States)

Wilkins, Stephen; Richard, Patrick; Hall, Joseph

2015-11-01

One of the major sources of aircraft airframe noise is related to the deployment of high-lift devices, such as leading-edge slats, particularly when the aircraft is preparing to land. As the engines are throttled back, the noise produced by the airframe itself is of great concern, as the aircraft is low enough for the noise to impact civilian populations. In order to reduce the aeroacoustic noise sources associated with these high lift devices for the next generation of aircraft an experimental investigation of the correlation between multi-point surface-mounted fluctuating pressures measured via flush-mounted microphones and the simultaneously measured two-component velocity field measured via Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) is studied. The development of the resulting shear-layer within the slat cove is studied for Re =80,000, based on the wing chord. For low Mach number flows in air, the major acoustic source is a dipole acoustic source tied to fluctuating surface pressures on solid boundaries, such as the underside of the slat itself. Regions of high correlations between the pressure and velocity field near the surface will likely indicate a strong acoustic dipole source. In order to study the underlying physical mechanisms and understand their role in the development of aeroacoustic noise, Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD) by the method of snapshots is employed on the velocity field. The correlation between low-order reconstructions and the surface-pressure measurements are also studied.

Effect of external jet-flow deflector geometry on OTW aero-acoustic characteristics. [Over-The-Wing

Science.gov (United States)

Von Glahn, U.; Groesbeck, D.

1976-01-01

The effect of geometry variations in the design of external deflectors for use with OTW configurations was studied at model scale and subsonic jet velocities. Included in the variations were deflector size and angle as well as wing size and flap setting. A conical nozzle (5.2-cm diameter) mounted at 0.1 chord above and downstream of the wing leading edges was used. The data indicate that external deflectors provide satisfactory take-off and approach aerodynamic performance and acoustic characteristics for OTW configurations. These characteristics together with expected good cruise aerodynamics, since external deflectors are storable, may provide optimum OTW design configurations.

Artificial insect wings of diverse morphology for flapping-wing micro air vehicles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shang, J K; Finio, B M; Wood, R J; Combes, S A

2009-01-01

The development of flapping-wing micro air vehicles (MAVs) demands a systematic exploration of the available design space to identify ways in which the unsteady mechanisms governing flapping-wing flight can best be utilized for producing optimal thrust or maneuverability. Mimicking the wing kinematics of biological flight requires examining the potential effects of wing morphology on flight performance, as wings may be specially adapted for flapping flight. For example, insect wings passively deform during flight, leading to instantaneous and potentially unpredictable changes in aerodynamic behavior. Previous studies have postulated various explanations for insect wing complexity, but there lacks a systematic approach for experimentally examining the functional significance of components of wing morphology, and for determining whether or not natural design principles can or should be used for MAVs. In this work, a novel fabrication process to create centimeter-scale wings of great complexity is introduced; via this process, a wing can be fabricated with a large range of desired mechanical and geometric characteristics. We demonstrate the versatility of the process through the creation of planar, insect-like wings with biomimetic venation patterns that approximate the mechanical properties of their natural counterparts under static loads. This process will provide a platform for studies investigating the effects of wing morphology on flight dynamics, which may lead to the design of highly maneuverable and efficient MAVs and insight into the functional morphology of natural wings.

A mechanism of leading-edge protrusion in the absence of Arp2/3 complex.

Science.gov (United States)

Suraneni, Praveen; Fogelson, Ben; Rubinstein, Boris; Noguera, Philippe; Volkmann, Niels; Hanein, Dorit; Mogilner, Alex; Li, Rong

2015-03-01

Cells employ protrusive leading edges to navigate and promote their migration in diverse physiological environments. Classical models of leading-edge protrusion rely on a treadmilling dendritic actin network that undergoes continuous assembly nucleated by the Arp2/3 complex, forming ruffling lamellipodia. Recent work demonstrated, however, that, in the absence of the Arp2/3 complex, fibroblast cells adopt a leading edge with filopodia-like protrusions (FLPs) and maintain an ability to move, albeit with altered responses to different environmental signals. We show that formin-family actin nucleators are required for the extension of FLPs but are insufficient to produce a continuous leading edge in fibroblasts lacking Arp2/3 complex. Myosin II is concentrated in arc-like regions of the leading edge in between FLPs, and its activity is required for coordinated advancement of these regions with formin-generated FLPs. We propose that actomyosin contraction acting against membrane tension advances the web of arcs between FLPs. Predictions of this model are verified experimentally. The dependence of myosin II in leading-edge advancement helps explain the previously reported defect in directional movement in the Arpc3-null fibroblasts. We provide further evidence that this defect is cell autonomous during chemotaxis. © 2015 Suraneni et al. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). Two months after publication it is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0).

Effect of outer wing separation on lift and thrust generation in a flapping wing system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mahardika, Nanang; Viet, Nguyen Quoc; Park, Hoon Cheol

2011-01-01

We explore the implementation of wing feather separation and lead-lagging motion to a flapping wing. A biomimetic flapping wing system with separated outer wings is designed and demonstrated. The artificial wing feather separation is implemented in the biomimetic wing by dividing the wing into inner and outer wings. The features of flapping, lead-lagging, and outer wing separation of the flapping wing system are captured by a high-speed camera for evaluation. The performance of the flapping wing system with separated outer wings is compared to that of a flapping wing system with closed outer wings in terms of forward force and downward force production. For a low flapping frequency ranging from 2.47 to 3.90 Hz, the proposed biomimetic flapping wing system shows a higher thrust and lift generation capability as demonstrated by a series of experiments. For 1.6 V application (lower frequency operation), the flapping wing system with separated wings could generate about 56% higher forward force and about 61% less downward force compared to that with closed wings, which is enough to demonstrate larger thrust and lift production capability of the separated outer wings. The experiments show that the outer parts of the separated wings are able to deform, resulting in a smaller amount of drag production during the upstroke, while still producing relatively greater lift and thrust during the downstroke.

Interplay between phosphoinositide lipids and calcium signals at the leading edge of chemotaxing ameboid cells☆

Science.gov (United States)

Falke, Joseph J.; Ziemba, Brian P.

2014-01-01

The chemotactic migration of eukaryotic ameboid cells up concentration gradients is among the most advanced forms of cellular behavior. Chemotaxis is controlled by a complex network of signaling proteins bound to specific lipids on the cytoplasmic surface of the plasma membrane at the front of the cell, or the leading edge. The central lipid players in this leading edge signaling pathway include the phosphoinositides PI(4,5)P2 (PIP2) and PI(3,4,5)P3 (PIP3), both of which play multiple roles. The products of PI(4,5)P2 hydrolysis, diacylglycerol (DAG) and Ins(1,4,5)P3 (IP3), are also implicated as important players. Together, these leading edge phosphoinositides and their degradation products, in concert with a local Ca2+ signal, control the recruitment and activities of many peripheral membrane proteins that are crucial to the leading edge signaling network. The present critical review summarizes the current molecular understanding of chemotactic signaling at the leading edge, including newly discovered roles of phosphoinositide lipids and Ca2+, while highlighting key questions for future research. PMID:24451847

Elastically Shaped Wing Optimization and Aircraft Concept for Improved Cruise Efficiency

Science.gov (United States)

Nguyen, Nhan; Trinh, Khanh; Reynolds, Kevin; Kless, James; Aftosmis, Michael; Urnes, James, Sr.; Ippolito, Corey

2013-01-01

This paper presents the findings of a study conducted tn 2010 by the NASA Innovation Fund Award project entitled "Elastically Shaped Future Air Vehicle Concept". The study presents three themes in support of meeting national and global aviation challenges of reducing fuel burn for present and future aviation systems. The first theme addresses the drag reduction goal through innovative vehicle configurations via non-planar wing optimization. Two wing candidate concepts have been identified from the wing optimization: a drooped wing shape and an inflected wing shape. The drooped wing shape is a truly biologically inspired wing concept that mimics a seagull wing and could achieve about 5% to 6% drag reduction, which is aerodynamically significant. From a practical perspective, this concept would require new radical changes to the current aircraft development capabilities for new vehicles with futuristic-looking wings such as this concept. The inflected wing concepts could achieve between 3% to 4% drag reduction. While the drag reduction benefit may be less, the inflected-wing concept could have a near-term impact since this concept could be developed within the current aircraft development capabilities. The second theme addresses the drag reduction goal through a new concept of elastic wing shaping control. By aeroelastically tailoring the wing shape with active control to maintain optimal aerodynamics, a significant drag reduction benefit could be realized. A significant reduction in fuel burn for long-range cruise from elastic wing shaping control could be realized. To realize the potential of the elastic wing shaping control concept, the third theme emerges that addresses the drag reduction goal through a new aerodynamic control effector called a variable camber continuous trailing edge flap. Conventional aerodynamic control surfaces are discrete independent surfaces that cause geometric discontinuities at the trailing edge region. These discontinuities promote

Effects of Leading Edge Defect on the Aerodynamic and Flow Characteristics of an S809 Airfoil.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yan; Zheng, Xiaojing; Hu, Ruifeng; Wang, Ping

Unexpected performance degradation occurs in wind turbine blades due to leading edge defect when suffering from continuous impacts with rain drops, hails, insects, or solid particles during its operation life. To assess this issue, this paper numerically investigates the steady and dynamic stall characteristics of an S809 airfoil with various leading edge defects. More leading edge defect sizes and much closer to practical parameters are investigated in the paper. Numerical computation is conducted using the SST k-ω turbulence model, and the method has been validated by comparison with existed published data. In order to ensure the calculation convergence, the residuals for the continuity equation are set to be less than 10-7 and 10-6 in steady state and dynamic stall cases. The simulations are conducted with the software ANSYS Fluent 13.0. It is found that the characteristics of aerodynamic coefficients and flow fields are sensitive to leading edge defect both in steady and dynamic conditions. For airfoils with the defect thickness of 6%tc, leading edge defect has a relative small influence on the aerodynamics of S809 airfoil. For other investigated defect thicknesses, leading edge defect has much greater influence on the flow field structures, pressure coefficients and aerodynamic characteristics of airfoil at relative small defect lengths. For example, the lift coefficients decrease and drag coefficients increase sharply after the appearance of leading edge defect. However, the aerodynamic characteristics could reach a constant value when the defect length is large enough. The flow field, pressure coefficient distribution and aerodynamic coefficients do not change a lot when the defect lengths reach to 0.5%c,1%c, 2%c and 3%c with defect thicknesses of 6%tc, 12%tc,18%tc and 25%tc, respectively. In addition, the results also show that the critical defect length/thickness ratio is 0.5, beyond which the aerodynamic characteristics nearly remain unchanged. In

Wind-tunnel Tests of a Hall High-life Wing

Science.gov (United States)

Weick, Fred E; Sanders, Robert

1932-01-01

Wind-tunnel tests have been made to find the lift, drag, and center-of-pressure characteristics of a Hall high-lift wing model. The Hall wing is essentially a split-flap airfoil with an internal air passage. Air enters the passage through an opening in the lower surface somewhat back of and parallel to the leading edge, and flows out through an opening made by deflecting the rear portion of the under surface downward as a flap. For ordinary flight conditions the front opening and the rear flap can be closed, providing in effect a conventional airfoil (the Clark Y in this case). The tests were made with various flap settings and with the entrance to the passage both open and closed. The highest lift coefficient found, C(sub L) = 2.08, was obtained with the passage closed.

CFD simulations of steady flows over the IAR 65o delta wing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Benmeddour, A.; Mebarki, Y.; Huang, X.Z.

2004-01-01

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) studies have been conducted to simulate vortical flows around the IAR 65 o delta wing with a sharp leading edge. The effects of the centerbody on the aerodynamic characteristics of the wing are also investigated. Two flow solvers have been employed to compute steady inviscid flows over with and without centerbody configurations of the wing. These two solvers are an IAR in-house code, FJ3SOLV, and the CFD-FASTRAN commercial software. The computed flow solutions of the two solvers have been compared and correlated against the IAR wind tunnel data, including Pressure Sensitive Paint (PSP) measurements. The major features of the primary vortex have been well captured and overall reasonable accuracy was obtained. In accordance with the experimental observations for the flow conditions considered, the CFD computations revealed no major global effects of the centerbody on the surface pressure distributions of the wing and on the lift coefficient. However, CFD-FASTRAN seems to predict a vortex breakdown, which is neither predicted by FJ3SOLV nor observed in the wind tunnel for the flow conditions considered. (author)

Passively morphing ornithopter wings constructed using a novel compliant spine: design and testing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wissa, A A; Hubbard Jr, J E; Tummala, Y; Frecker, M I

2012-01-01

Ornithopters or flapping wing uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) have potential applications in civil and military sectors. Amongst the UAVs, ornithopters have a unique ability to fly in low Reynolds number flight regimes and also have the agility and maneuverability of rotary wing aircraft. In nature, birds achieve such performance by exploiting various wing kinematics known as gaits. The objective of this work is to improve the steady level flight performance of an ornithopter by implementing a continuous vortex gait using a novel passive compliant spine inserted in the ornithopter’s wings. This paper presents an optimal compliant spine concept for ornithopter applications. A quasi-static design optimization procedure was formulated to design the compliant spine. Finite element analysis was performed on a first generation spine and the spine was fabricated. This prototype was then tested by inserting it into an ornithopter’s wing leading edge spar. The effect of inserting the compliant spine into the wings on the electric power required, the aerodynamic loads and the wing kinematics was studied. The ornithopter with the compliant spines inserted in its wings consumed 45% less power and produced an additional 16% of its weight in mean lift compared to the same ornithopter without the compliant spine. The results indicate that this passive morphing approach is promising for improved steady level flight performance. (paper)

Effect of Thickness-to-Chord Ratio on Flow Structure of Low Swept Delta Wing

Science.gov (United States)

Gulsacan, Burak; Sencan, Gizem; Yavuz, Mehmet Metin

2017-11-01

The effect of thickness-to-chord (t/C) ratio on flow structure of a delta wing with sweep angle of 35 degree is characterized in a low speed wind tunnel using laser illuminated smoke visualization, particle image velocimetry, and surface pressure measurements. Four different t/C ratio varying from 4.75% to 19% are tested at angles of attack 4, 6, 8, and 10 degrees for Reynolds numbers Re =10,000 and 35,000. The results indicate that the effect of thickness-to-chord ratio on flow structure is quite substantial, such that, as the wing thickness increases, the flow structure transforms from leading edge vortex to three-dimensional separated flow regime. The wing with low t/C ratio of 4.75% experiences pronounced surface separation at significantly higher angle of attack compared to the wing with high t/C ratio. The results might explain some of the discrepancies reported in previously conducted studies related to delta wings. In addition, it is observed that the thickness of the shear layer separated from windward side of the wing is directly correlated with the thickness of the wing. To conclude, the flow structure on low swept delta wing is highly affected by t/C ratio, which in turn might indicate the potential usage of wing thickness as an effective flow control parameter.

Interplay between phosphoinositide lipids and calcium signals at the leading edge of chemotaxing ameboid cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Falke, Joseph J; Ziemba, Brian P

2014-09-01

The chemotactic migration of eukaryotic ameboid cells up concentration gradients is among the most advanced forms of cellular behavior. Chemotaxis is controlled by a complex network of signaling proteins bound to specific lipids on the cytoplasmic surface of the plasma membrane at the front of the cell, or the leading edge. The central lipid players in this leading edge signaling pathway include the phosphoinositides PI(4,5)P2 (PIP2) and PI(3,4,5)P3 (PIP3), both of which play multiple roles. The products of PI(4,5)P2 hydrolysis, diacylglycerol (DAG) and Ins(1,4,5)P3 (IP3), are also implicated as important players. Together, these leading edge phosphoinositides and their degradation products, in concert with a local Ca(2+) signal, control the recruitment and activities of many peripheral membrane proteins that are crucial to the leading edge signaling network. The present critical review summarizes the current molecular understanding of chemotactic signaling at the leading edge, including newly discovered roles of phosphoinositide lipids and Ca(2+), while highlighting key questions for future research. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Leading-Edge Velocities and Lifted Methane Jet Flame Stability

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

W. Wang

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Current interest exists in understanding reaction-zone dynamics and mechanisms with respect to how they counterpropagate against incoming reactants. Images of flame position and flow-field morphology are presented from flame chemiluminescence and particle image velocimetry (PIV measurements. In the present study, PIV experiments were carried out to measure the methane jet lifted-flame flow-field velocities in the vicinity of the flame leading edge. Specifically, velocity fields within the high-temperature zone were examined in detail, which complements previous studies, whose prime focus is the flow-field upstream of the high-temperature boundary. PIV data is used not only to determine the velocities, but, along with chemiluminescence images, to also indicate the approximate location of the reaction zone (further supported by/through the leading-edge flame velocity distributions. The velocity results indirectly support the concept that the flame is anchored primarily through the mechanism of partially premixed flame propagation.

Potential environmental effects of the leading edge hydrokinetic energy technology.

Science.gov (United States)

2017-05-01

The Volpe Center evaluated potential environmental challenges and benefits of the ARPA-E funded research project, Marine Hydrokinetic Energy Harvesting Using Cyber-Physical Systems, led by Brown University. The Leading Edge research team develo...

Unsteady aerodynamics of a pitching-flapping-perturbed revolving wing at low Reynolds number

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Long; Wu, Jianghao; Zhou, Chao; Hsu, Shih-Jung; Cheng, Bo

2018-05-01

Due to adverse viscous effects, revolving wings suffer universally from low efficiency at low Reynolds number (Re). By reciprocating wing revolving motion, natural flyers flying at low Re successfully exploit unsteady effects to augment force production and efficiency. Here we investigate the aerodynamics of an alternative, i.e., a revolving wing with concomitant unsteady pitching and vertical flapping perturbations (a pitching-flapping-perturbed revolving wing). The current work builds upon a previous study on flapping-perturbed revolving wings (FP-RWs) and focuses on combined effects of pitching-flapping perturbation on force generation and vortex behaviors. The results show that, compared with a FR-RW, pitching motion further (1) reduces the external driving torque for rotating at 0° angle of attack (α0) and (2) enhances lift and leads to a self-rotating equilibrium at α0 = 20°. The power loading of a revolving wing at α0 = 20° can be improved using pitching-flapping perturbations with large pitching amplitude but small Strouhal number. Additionally, an advanced pitching improves the reduction of external driving torque, whereas a delayed pitching weakens both the lift enhancement and the reduction of external driving torque. Further analysis shows that pitching effects can be mainly decomposed into the Leading-Edge-Vortex (LEV)-mediated pressure component and geometric projection component, together they determine the force performance. LEV circulation is found to be determined by the instantaneous effective angle of attack but could be affected asymmetrically between upstroke and downstroke depending on the nominal angle of attack. Pitching-flapping perturbation thus can potentially inspire novel mechanisms to improve the aerodynamic performance of rotary wing micro air vehicles.

Chronophin coordinates cell leading edge dynamics by controlling active cofilin levels

Science.gov (United States)

Delorme-Walker, Violaine; Seo, Ji-Yeon; Gohla, Antje; Fowler, Bruce; Bohl, Ben; DerMardirossian, Céline

2015-01-01

Cofilin, a critical player of actin dynamics, is spatially and temporally regulated to control the direction and force of membrane extension required for cell locomotion. In carcinoma cells, although the signaling pathways regulating cofilin activity to control cell direction have been established, the molecular machinery required to generate the force of the protrusion remains unclear. We show that the cofilin phosphatase chronophin (CIN) spatiotemporally regulates cofilin activity at the cell edge to generate persistent membrane extension. We show that CIN translocates to the leading edge in a PI3-kinase–, Rac1-, and cofilin-dependent manner after EGF stimulation to activate cofilin, promotes actin free barbed end formation, accelerates actin turnover, and enhances membrane protrusion. In addition, we establish that CIN is crucial for the balance of protrusion/retraction events during cell migration. Thus, CIN coordinates the leading edge dynamics by controlling active cofilin levels to promote MTLn3 cell protrusion. PMID:26324884

Coupled Vortex-Lattice Flight Dynamic Model with Aeroelastic Finite-Element Model of Flexible Wing Transport Aircraft with Variable Camber Continuous Trailing Edge Flap for Drag Reduction

Science.gov (United States)

Nguyen, Nhan; Ting, Eric; Nguyen, Daniel; Dao, Tung; Trinh, Khanh

2013-01-01

This paper presents a coupled vortex-lattice flight dynamic model with an aeroelastic finite-element model to predict dynamic characteristics of a flexible wing transport aircraft. The aircraft model is based on NASA Generic Transport Model (GTM) with representative mass and stiffness properties to achieve a wing tip deflection about twice that of a conventional transport aircraft (10% versus 5%). This flexible wing transport aircraft is referred to as an Elastically Shaped Aircraft Concept (ESAC) which is equipped with a Variable Camber Continuous Trailing Edge Flap (VCCTEF) system for active wing shaping control for drag reduction. A vortex-lattice aerodynamic model of the ESAC is developed and is coupled with an aeroelastic finite-element model via an automated geometry modeler. This coupled model is used to compute static and dynamic aeroelastic solutions. The deflection information from the finite-element model and the vortex-lattice model is used to compute unsteady contributions to the aerodynamic force and moment coefficients. A coupled aeroelastic-longitudinal flight dynamic model is developed by coupling the finite-element model with the rigid-body flight dynamic model of the GTM.

Effects of Leading Edge Defect on the Aerodynamic and Flow Characteristics of an S809 Airfoil.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yan Wang

Full Text Available Unexpected performance degradation occurs in wind turbine blades due to leading edge defect when suffering from continuous impacts with rain drops, hails, insects, or solid particles during its operation life. To assess this issue, this paper numerically investigates the steady and dynamic stall characteristics of an S809 airfoil with various leading edge defects. More leading edge defect sizes and much closer to practical parameters are investigated in the paper.Numerical computation is conducted using the SST k-ω turbulence model, and the method has been validated by comparison with existed published data. In order to ensure the calculation convergence, the residuals for the continuity equation are set to be less than 10-7 and 10-6 in steady state and dynamic stall cases. The simulations are conducted with the software ANSYS Fluent 13.0.It is found that the characteristics of aerodynamic coefficients and flow fields are sensitive to leading edge defect both in steady and dynamic conditions. For airfoils with the defect thickness of 6%tc, leading edge defect has a relative small influence on the aerodynamics of S809 airfoil. For other investigated defect thicknesses, leading edge defect has much greater influence on the flow field structures, pressure coefficients and aerodynamic characteristics of airfoil at relative small defect lengths. For example, the lift coefficients decrease and drag coefficients increase sharply after the appearance of leading edge defect. However, the aerodynamic characteristics could reach a constant value when the defect length is large enough. The flow field, pressure coefficient distribution and aerodynamic coefficients do not change a lot when the defect lengths reach to 0.5%c,1%c, 2%c and 3%c with defect thicknesses of 6%tc, 12%tc,18%tc and 25%tc, respectively. In addition, the results also show that the critical defect length/thickness ratio is 0.5, beyond which the aerodynamic characteristics nearly remain

The Edge supersonic transport

Science.gov (United States)

Agosta, Roxana; Bilbija, Dushan; Deutsch, Marc; Gallant, David; Rose, Don; Shreve, Gene; Smario, David; Suffredini, Brian

1992-01-01

As intercontinental business and tourism volumes continue their rapid expansion, the need to reduce travel times becomes increasingly acute. The Edge Supersonic Transport Aircraft is designed to meet this demand by the year 2015. With a maximum range of 5750 nm, a payload of 294 passengers and a cruising speed of M = 2.4, The Edge will cut current international flight durations in half, while maintaining competitive first class, business class, and economy class comfort levels. Moreover, this transport will render a minimal impact upon the environment, and will meet all Federal Aviation Administration Part 36, Stage III noise requirements. The cornerstone of The Edge's superior flight performance is its aerodynamically efficient, dual-configuration design incorporating variable-geometry wingtips. This arrangement combines the benefits of a high aspect ratio wing at takeoff and low cruising speeds with the high performance of an arrow-wing in supersonic cruise. And while the structural weight concerns relating to swinging wingtips are substantial, The Edge looks to ever-advancing material technologies to further increase its viability. Heeding well the lessons of the past, The Edge design holds economic feasibility as its primary focus. Therefore, in addition to its inherently superior aerodynamic performance, The Edge uses a lightweight, largely windowless configuration, relying on a synthetic vision system for outside viewing by both pilot and passengers. Additionally, a fly-by-light flight control system is incorporated to address aircraft supersonic cruise instability. The Edge will be produced at an estimated volume of 400 aircraft and will be offered to airlines in 2015 at $167 million per transport (1992 dollars).

Effect of guide wall on jet impingement cooling in blade leading edge channel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao, Qing-Yang; Chung, Heeyoon; Choi, Seok Min; Cho, Hyung Hee

2016-01-01

The characteristics of fluid flow and heat transfer, which are affected by the guide wall in a jet impinged leading edge channel, have been investigated numerically using three-dimensional Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes analysis via the shear stress transport turbulence model and gamma theta transitional turbulence model. A constant wall heat flux condition has been applied to the leading edge surface. The jet-to-surface distance is constant, which is three times that of the jet diameter. The arrangement of the guide wall near the jet hole is set as a variable. Results presented in this study include the Nusselt number contour, velocity vector, streamline with velocity, and local Nusselt number distribution along the central line on the leading edge surface. The average Nusselt number and average pressure loss between jet nozzle and channel exit are calculated to assess the thermal performance. The application of the guide wall is aimed at improving heat transfer uniformity on the leading edge surface. Results indicated that the streamwise guide wall ensures the vertical jet impingement flow intensity and prevents the flow after impingement to reflux into jet flow. Thus, a combined rectangular guide wall benefits the average heat transfer, thermal performance and heat transfer distribution uniformity

Flow structures around a flapping wing considering ground effect

Science.gov (United States)

Van Truong, Tien; Kim, Jihoon; Kim, Min Jun; Park, Hoon Cheol; Yoon, Kwang Joon; Byun, Doyoung

2013-07-01

Over the past several decades, there has been great interest in understanding the aerodynamics of flapping flight, namely the two flight modes of hovering and forward flight. However, there has been little focus on the aerodynamic characteristics during takeoff of insects. In a previous study we found that the Rhinoceros Beetle ( Trypoxylusdichotomus) takes off without jumping, which is uncommon for other insects. In this study we built a scaled-up electromechanical model of a flapping wing and investigated fluid flow around the beetle's wing model. In particular, the present dynamically scaled mechanical model has the wing kinematics pattern achieved from the real beetle's wing kinematics during takeoff. In addition, we could systematically change the three-dimensional inclined motion of the flapping model through each stroke. We used digital particle image velocimetry with high spatial resolution, and were able to qualitatively and quantitatively study the flow field around the wing at a Reynolds number of approximately 10,000. The present results provide insight into the aerodynamics and the evolution of vortical structures, as well as the ground effect experienced by a beetle's wing during takeoff. The main unsteady mechanisms of beetles have been identified and intensively analyzed as the stability of the leading edge vortex (LEV) during strokes, the delayed stall during upstroke, the rotational circulation in pronation periods, and wake capture in supination periods. Due to the ground effect, the LEV was enhanced during half downstroke, and the lift force could thus be increased to lift the beetle during takeoff. This is useful for researchers in developing a micro air vehicle that has a beetle-like flapping wing motion.

Aerodynamic performance enhancement of a flying wing using nanosecond pulsed DBD plasma actuator

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Han Menghu

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Experimental investigation of aerodynamic control on a 35° swept flying wing by means of nanosecond dielectric barrier discharge (NS-DBD plasma was carried out at subsonic flow speed of 20–40 m/s, corresponding to Reynolds number of 3.1 × 105–6.2 × 105. In control condition, the plasma actuator was installed symmetrically on the leading edge of the wing. Lift coefficient, drag coefficient, lift-to-drag ratio and pitching moment coefficient were tested with and without control for a range of angles of attack. The tested results indicate that an increase of 14.5% in maximum lift coefficient, a decrease of 34.2% in drag coefficient, an increase of 22.4% in maximum lift-to-drag ratio and an increase of 2° at stall angle of attack could be achieved compared with the baseline case. The effects of pulsed frequency, amplitude and chord Reynolds number were also investigated. And the results revealed that control efficiency demonstrated strong dependence on pulsed frequency. Moreover, the results of pitching moment coefficient indicated that the breakdown of leading edge vortices could be delayed by plasma actuator at low pulsed frequencies.

Periodic and aperiodic flow patterns around an airfoil with leading-edge protuberances

Science.gov (United States)

Cai, Chang; Zuo, Zhigang; Maeda, Takao; Kamada, Yasunari; Li, Qing'an; Shimamoto, Kensei; Liu, Shuhong

2017-11-01

Recently leading-edge protuberances have attracted great attention as a passive method for separation control. In this paper, the effect of multiple leading-edge protuberances on the performance of a two-dimensional airfoil is investigated through experimental measurement of aerodynamic forces, surface tuft visualization, and numerical simulation. In contrast to the sharp stall of the baseline airfoil with large hysteresis effect during AOA (angle of attack) increasing and decreasing, the stall process of the modified airfoil with leading-edge protuberances is gentle and stable. Flow visualization revealed that the flow past each protuberance is periodic and symmetric at small AOAs. Streamwise vortices are generated on the shoulders of the protuberance, leading to a larger separation around the valley sections and a longer attachment along the peak sections. When some critical AOA is exceeded, aperiodic and asymmetric flow patterns occur on the protuberances at different spanwise positions, with leading-edge separation on some of the valley sections and non-stalled condition elsewhere. A combined mechanism, involving both the compartmentalization effect of the slender momentum-enhanced attached flows on the protuberance peaks and the downwash effect of the local stalled region with low circulation, is proposed to explain the generation of the aperiodic flow patterns. The influence of the number of protuberances is also investigated, which shows similar aperiodic flow patterns. The distance between the neighboring local stalled valley sections is found to be in the range of 4-7 times the protuberance wavelength. According to the proposed mechanism, it is speculated that the distance between the neighboring local stalled valley sections is inclined to increase with a smaller protuberance amplitude or at a larger AOA.

SiC/SiC Leading Edge Turbine Airfoil Tested Under Simulated Gas Turbine Conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Robinson, R. Craig; Hatton, Kenneth S.

1999-01-01

Silicon-based ceramics have been proposed as component materials for use in gas turbine engine hot-sections. A high pressure burner rig was used to expose both a baseline metal airfoil and ceramic matrix composite leading edge airfoil to typical gas turbine conditions to comparatively evaluate the material response at high temperatures. To eliminate many of the concerns related to an entirely ceramic, rotating airfoil, this study has focused on equipping a stationary metal airfoil with a ceramic leading edge insert to demonstrate the feasibility and benefits of such a configuration. Here, the idea was to allow the SiC/SiC composite to be integrated as the airfoil's leading edge, operating in a "free-floating" or unrestrained manner. and provide temperature relief to the metal blade underneath. The test included cycling the airfoils between simulated idle, lift, and cruise flight conditions. In addition, the airfoils were air-cooled, uniquely instrumented, and exposed to the same internal and external conditions, which included gas temperatures in excess of 1370 C (2500 F). Results show the leading edge insert remained structurally intact after 200 simulated flight cycles with only a slightly oxidized surface. The instrumentation clearly suggested a significant reduction (approximately 600 F) in internal metal temperatures as a result of the ceramic leading edge. The object of this testing was to validate the design and analysis done by Materials Research and Design of Rosemont, PA and to determine the feasibility of this design for the intended application.

ARF1 recruits RAC1 to leading edge in neutrophil chemotaxis.

Science.gov (United States)

Mazaki, Yuichi; Onodera, Yasuhito; Higashi, Tsunehito; Horinouchi, Takahiro; Oikawa, Tsukasa; Sabe, Hisataka

2017-10-02

The small GTPase ARF1 mediates membrane trafficking mostly from the Golgi, and is essential for the G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR)-mediated chemotaxis of neutrophils. In this process, ARF1 is activated by the guanine nucleotide exchanger GBF1, and is inactivated by the GTPase-activating protein GIT2. Neutrophils generate the Gβγ-PAK1-αPIX-GIT2 linear complex during GPCR-induced chemotaxis, in which αPIX activates RAC1/CDC42, which then employs PAK1. However, it has remained unclear as to why GIT2 is included in this complex. We investigated the association between ARF1 and RAC1/CDC42 during the fMLP-stimulated chemotaxis of HL60 cells. We found that the silencing of GBF1 significantly impaired the recruitment of RAC1 to the leading edges, but not PAK1, αPIX, RAC2, or CDC42. A significant population of RAC1 colocalized with ARF1 at the leading edges in stimulated cells, whereas fMLP activated both ARF1 and ARF5. Consistently, the silencing of ARF1, but not ARF5, impaired the recruitment of RAC1, whereas the silencing of RAC1 did not affect the recruitment of ARF1 to the leading edges. Our results indicated that the activation of ARF1 triggers the plasma membrane recruitment of RAC1 in GPCR-mediated chemotaxis, which is essential for cortical actin remodeling. Thus, membrane remodeling at the leading edges appears to precede actin remodeling in chemotaxis. Together with the fact that GIT2, which inactivates ARF1, is an integral component of the machinery activating RAC1, we proposed a model in which the ARF1-RAC1 linkage enables the regulation of ARF1 by repetitive on/off cycles during GPCR-mediated neutrophil chemotaxis.

Forced Rolling Oscillation of a 65 deg-Delta Wing in Transonic Vortex-Breakdown Flow

Science.gov (United States)

Menzies, Margaret A.; Kandil, Osama A.; Kandil, Hamdy A.

1996-01-01

Unsteady, transonic, vortex dominated flow over a 65 deg. sharp-edged, cropped-delta wing of zero thickness undergoing forced rolling oscillations is investigated computationally. The wing angle of attack is 20 deg. and the free stream Mach number and Reynolds number are 0.85 and 3.23 x 10(exp 6), respectively. The initial condition of the flow is characterized by a transverse terminating shock which induces vortex breakdown of the leading edge vortex cores. The computational investigation uses the time accurate solution of the laminar, unsteady, compressible, full Navier-Stokes equations with the implicit, upwind, Roe flux difference splitting, finite-volume scheme. While the maximum roll amplitude is kept constant at 4.0 deg., both Reynolds number and roll frequency are varied covering three cases of forced sinusoidal rolling. First, the Reynolds number is held at 3.23 x 10(exp 6) and the wing is forced to oscillate in roll around the axis of geometric symmetry at a reduced frequency of 2(pi). Second, the Reynolds number is reduced to 0.5 x 10(exp 6) to observe the effects of added viscosity on the vortex breakdown. Third, with the Reynolds number held at 0.5 x 10(exp 6), the roll frequency is reduced to 1(pi) to complete the study.

A PIV Study of Baseline and Controlled Flow over the Highly Deflected Flap of a Generic Low Aspect Ratio Trapezoidal Wing

Science.gov (United States)

Tewes, Philipp; Genschow, Konstantin; Little, Jesse; Wygnanski, Israel

2017-11-01

A detailed flow survey using PIV was conducted over a highly-deflected flap (55°) of a low-aspect ratio trapezoidal wing. The wing section is a NACA 0012 with 45° sweep at both the leading and trailing edges, an aspect ratio of 1.5 and a taper ratio of 0.27. The main element is equipped with 7 equally spaced fluidic oscillators, covering the inner 60 % of the span, located near the flap hinge. Experiments were carried out at 0° and 8° incidence at a Reynolds number of 1.7 .106 for both baseline and active flow control (AFC) cases. Velocity ISO-surfaces, x-vorticity and streamlines are analyzed / discussed. A flap leading edge vortex governs the baseline flow field for 0°. This vortical structure interacts with the jets emitted by the actuators (Cμ = 1 %). Its development is hampered and the vortex is redirected toward the trailing edge resulting in a CL increase. At 8°, the dominant flap leading edge vortex could not be detected and is believed to have already merged with the tip vortex. AFC attached the flow over the flap and enhanced the lift by up to 20 % while maintaining longitudinal stability. The dominant flow features in the AFC cases are actuator-generated streamwise vortices which appear stronger at 8°. This work was supported by the Office of Naval Research under ONR Grant No. N00014-14-1-0387.

Cervical Length & Leading Placental Edge to Internal OS Measurements - TA vs TV

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Westerway, Sue Campbell; Pedersen, Lars Henning; Hyett, Jon

Brief Description of the Purpose of the Study: To compare cervical length/leading placental edge from the internal cervical os measurements obtained by both transabdominal (TA) and transvaginal (TV) approach and to assess intra / inter-observer variation for these measurements. Methods: Cross...... sectional study of 374 consecutive pregnancies with gestation 12 weeks to term. The cervical length was estimated as the distance from internal to external os, and the placenta / cervix distance as the leading placental edge to internal cervical os. Bland-Altman plots were used to evaluate the two methods....... Importance of the Conclusions: TA estimates of cervix and placental edge position did not reflect the estimates obtained by TV assessment. As both measures are important markers of pregnancy outcome and management, the transabdominal method in the present form is insuffi- cient in clinical management....

On the structure, interaction, and breakdown characteristics of slender wing vortices at subsonic, transonic, and supersonic speeds

Science.gov (United States)

Erickson, Gary E.; Schreiner, John A.; Rogers, Lawrence W.

1989-01-01

Slender wing vortex flows at subsonic, transonic, and supersonic speeds were investigated in a 6 x 6 ft wind tunnel. Test data obtained include off-body and surface flow visualizations, wing upper surface static pressure distributions, and six-component forces and moments. The results reveal the transition from the low-speed classical vortex regime to the transonic regime, beginning at a freestream Mach number of 0.60, where vortices coexist with shock waves. It is shown that the onset of core breakdown and the progression of core breakdown with the angle of attack were sensitive to the Mach number, and that the shock effects at transonic speeds were reduced by the interaction of the wing and the lead-edge extension (LEX) vortices. The vortex strengths and direct interaction of the wing and LEX cores (cores wrapping around each other) were found to diminish at transonic and supersonic speeds.

Development flight tests of JetStar LFC leading-edge flight test experiment

Science.gov (United States)

Fisher, David F.; Fischer, Michael C.

1987-01-01

The overall objective of the flight tests on the JetStar aircraft was to demonstrate the effectiveness and reliability of laminar flow control under representative flight conditions. One specific objective was to obtain laminar flow on the JetStar leading-edge test articles for the design and off-design conditions. Another specific objective was to obtain operational experience on a Laminar Flow Control (LFC) leading-edge system in a simulated airline service. This included operational experience with cleaning requirements, the effect of clogging, possible foreign object damage, erosion, and the effects of ice particle and cloud encounters. Results are summarized.

Morphometric characterisation of wing feathers of the barn owl Tyto alba pratincola and the pigeon Columba livia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Klaas Michael

2007-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Owls are known for their silent flight. Even though there is some information available on the mechanisms that lead to a reduction of noise emission, neither the morphological basis, nor the biological mechanisms of the owl's silent flight are known. Therefore, we have initiated a systematic analysis of wing morphology in both a specialist, the barn owl, and a generalist, the pigeon. This report presents a comparison between the feathers of the barn owl and the pigeon and emphasise the specific characteristics of the owl's feathers on macroscopic and microscopic level. An understanding of the features and mechanisms underlying this silent flight might eventually be employed for aerodynamic purposes and lead to a new wing design in modern aircrafts. Results A variety of different feathers (six remiges and six coverts, taken from several specimen in either species, were investigated. Quantitative analysis of digital images and scanning electron microscopy were used for a morphometric characterisation. Although both species have comparable body weights, barn owl feathers were in general larger than pigeon feathers. For both species, the depth and the area of the outer vanes of the remiges were typically smaller than those of the inner vanes. This difference was more pronounced in the barn owl than in the pigeon. Owl feathers also had lesser radiates, longer pennula, and were more translucent than pigeon feathers. The two species achieved smooth edges and regular surfaces of the vanes by different construction principles: while the angles of attachment to the rachis and the length of the barbs was nearly constant for the barn owl, these parameters varied in the pigeon. We also present a quantitative description of several characteristic features of barn owl feathers, e.g., the serrations at the leading edge of the wing, the fringes at the edges of each feather, and the velvet-like dorsal surface. Conclusion The quantitative

Investigation of the Three-Dimensional Hinge Moment Characteristics Generated by the ONERA-M6 Wing with an Aileron

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G. Q. Zhang

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The hinge moment characteristics for ONERA-M6 wing with aileron configuration have been investigated numerically based on the different gaps and deflecting angles. The results show that the effects on the wing made by the deflecting aileron are notable. Comparing with the nonaileron case, the chordwise pressure coefficient distribution for the wing with aileron has shown the totally different trends. The small gap can force the air flow through and form the extremely strong spraying flow. It can directly destroy the previously formed leading edge vortex (LEV. Due to the presence of the positive deflecting angle, the trailing edge vortex (TEV will begin to generate at the trailing edge of the aileron. The induced secondary LEV will be mixed with the developing TEVs and form the stronger TEVs at the downstream position. Comparing with the subsonic flow, the curve for the supersonic flow has shown a good linear. The corresponding hinge moments are also extremely sensitive to the changing angle of attack, and the slope of curves is also bigger than that of the subsonic flow. The bigger gap and deflecting angle can result in the curve of hinge moment bending upward at high angle of attack. The corresponding pressure cloud and streamlines have also been obtained computationally and analyzed in detail.

Simulated big sagebrush regeneration supports predicted changes at the trailing and leading edges of distribution shifts

Science.gov (United States)

Schlaepfer, Daniel R.; Taylor, Kyle A.; Pennington, Victoria E.; Nelson, Kellen N.; Martin, Trace E.; Rottler, Caitlin M.; Lauenroth, William K.; Bradford, John B.

2015-01-01

Many semi-arid plant communities in western North America are dominated by big sagebrush. These ecosystems are being reduced in extent and quality due to economic development, invasive species, and climate change. These pervasive modifications have generated concern about the long-term viability of sagebrush habitat and sagebrush-obligate wildlife species (notably greater sage-grouse), highlighting the need for better understanding of the future big sagebrush distribution, particularly at the species' range margins. These leading and trailing edges of potential climate-driven sagebrush distribution shifts are likely to be areas most sensitive to climate change. We used a process-based regeneration model for big sagebrush, which simulates potential germination and seedling survival in response to climatic and edaphic conditions and tested expectations about current and future regeneration responses at trailing and leading edges that were previously identified using traditional species distribution models. Our results confirmed expectations of increased probability of regeneration at the leading edge and decreased probability of regeneration at the trailing edge below current levels. Our simulations indicated that soil water dynamics at the leading edge became more similar to the typical seasonal ecohydrological conditions observed within the current range of big sagebrush ecosystems. At the trailing edge, an increased winter and spring dryness represented a departure from conditions typically supportive of big sagebrush. Our results highlighted that minimum and maximum daily temperatures as well as soil water recharge and summer dry periods are important constraints for big sagebrush regeneration. Overall, our results confirmed previous predictions, i.e., we see consistent changes in areas identified as trailing and leading edges; however, we also identified potential local refugia within the trailing edge, mostly at sites at higher elevation. Decreasing

Determination of edge plasma parameters by a genetic algorithm analysis of spectral line shapes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Marandet, Y.; Genesio, P.; Godbert-Mouret, L.; Koubiti, M.; Stamm, R. [Universite de Provence (PIIM), Centre de Saint-Jerome, 13 - Marseille (France); Capes, H.; Guirlet, R. [Association Euratom-CEA Cadarache, 13 - Saint-Paul-lez-Durance (France). Dept. de Recherches sur la Fusion Controlee

2003-07-01

Comparing an experimental and a theoretical line shape can be achieved by a genetic algorithm (GA) based on an analogy to the mechanisms of natural selection. Such an algorithm is able to deal with complex non-linear models, and can avoid local minima. We have used this optimization tool in the context of edge plasma spectroscopy, for a determination of the temperatures and fractions of the various populations of neutral deuterium emitting the D{sub {alpha}} line in 2 configurations of Tore-Supra: ergodic divertor and toroidal pumped limiter. Using the GA fit, the neutral emitters are separated into up to 4 populations which can be identified as resulting from molecular dissociation reactions, charge exchange, or reflection. In all the edge plasmas studied, a significant fraction of neutrals emit in the line wings, leading to neutrals with a temperature up to a few hundreds eV if a Gaussian line shape is assumed. This conclusion could be modified if the line wing exhibits a non Gaussian behavior.

Determination of edge plasma parameters by a genetic algorithm analysis of spectral line shapes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marandet, Y.; Genesio, P.; Godbert-Mouret, L.; Koubiti, M.; Stamm, R.; Capes, H.; Guirlet, R.

2003-01-01

Comparing an experimental and a theoretical line shape can be achieved by a genetic algorithm (GA) based on an analogy to the mechanisms of natural selection. Such an algorithm is able to deal with complex non-linear models, and can avoid local minima. We have used this optimization tool in the context of edge plasma spectroscopy, for a determination of the temperatures and fractions of the various populations of neutral deuterium emitting the D α line in 2 configurations of Tore-Supra: ergodic divertor and toroidal pumped limiter. Using the GA fit, the neutral emitters are separated into up to 4 populations which can be identified as resulting from molecular dissociation reactions, charge exchange, or reflection. In all the edge plasmas studied, a significant fraction of neutrals emit in the line wings, leading to neutrals with a temperature up to a few hundreds eV if a Gaussian line shape is assumed. This conclusion could be modified if the line wing exhibits a non Gaussian behavior

On the shape optimization of flapping wings and their performance analysis

KAUST Repository

Ghommem, Mehdi

2014-01-01

The present work is concerned with the shape optimization of flapping wings in forward flight. The analysis is performed by combining a gradient-based optimizer with the unsteady vortex lattice method (UVLM). We describe the UVLM simulation procedure and provide the first methodology to select properly the mesh and time-step sizes to achieve invariant UVLM simulation results under mesh refinement. Our objective is to identify a set of optimized shapes that maximize the propulsive efficiency, defined as the ratio of the propulsive power over the aerodynamic power, under lift, thrust, and area constraints. Several parameters affecting flight performance are investigated and their impact is described. These include the wingÊ1/4s aspect ratio, camber line, and curvature of the leading and trailing edges. This study provides guidance for shape design of engineered flying systems. © 2013 Elsevier Masson SAS.

Parametric Dependence of Initial LEV Behavior on Maneuvering Wings

Science.gov (United States)

Berdon, Randall; Wabick, Kevin; Buchholz, James; Johnson, Kyle; Thurow, Brian; University of Iowa Team; Auburn University Team

2017-11-01

A maneuvering rectangular wing of aspect ratio 2 is examined experimentally using dye visualization and PIV to characterize the initial development of the leading-edge vortex (LEV) during a rolling maneuver in a uniform free stream. Understanding the underlying physics during the early evolution of the vortex is important for developing strategies to manipulate vortex evolution. Varying the dimensionless radius of gyration of the wing (Rg/c, where Rg is the radius of gyration and c is the chord) and the advance ratio (J=U/ ΩRg, where U is the free-stream velocity and Ω is the roll rate) affects the structure of the vortex and its propensity to remain attached. The influence of these parameters will be discussed, toward identification of similarity parameters governing vortex development. This work is supported by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (Grant Number FA9550-16-1-0107, Dr. Douglas Smith, program manager).

Aeroelasticity of morphing wings using neural networks

Science.gov (United States)

Natarajan, Anand

In this dissertation, neural networks are designed to effectively model static non-linear aeroelastic problems in adaptive structures and linear dynamic aeroelastic systems with time varying stiffness. The use of adaptive materials in aircraft wings allows for the change of the contour or the configuration of a wing (morphing) in flight. The use of smart materials, to accomplish these deformations, can imply that the stiffness of the wing with a morphing contour changes as the contour changes. For a rapidly oscillating body in a fluid field, continuously adapting structural parameters may render the wing to behave as a time variant system. Even the internal spars/ribs of the aircraft wing which define the wing stiffness can be made adaptive, that is, their stiffness can be made to vary with time. The immediate effect on the structural dynamics of the wing, is that, the wing motion is governed by a differential equation with time varying coefficients. The study of this concept of a time varying torsional stiffness, made possible by the use of active materials and adaptive spars, in the dynamic aeroelastic behavior of an adaptable airfoil is performed here. Another type of aeroelastic problem of an adaptive structure that is investigated here, is the shape control of an adaptive bump situated on the leading edge of an airfoil. Such a bump is useful in achieving flow separation control for lateral directional maneuverability of the aircraft. Since actuators are being used to create this bump on the wing surface, the energy required to do so needs to be minimized. The adverse pressure drag as a result of this bump needs to be controlled so that the loss in lift over the wing is made minimal. The design of such a "spoiler bump" on the surface of the airfoil is an optimization problem of maximizing pressure drag due to flow separation while minimizing the loss in lift and energy required to deform the bump. One neural network is trained using the CFD code FLUENT to

Unified aeroacoustics analysis for high speed turboprop aerodynamics and noise. Volume 2: Development of theory for wing shielding

Science.gov (United States)

Amiet, R. K.

1991-01-01

A unified theory for aerodynamics and noise of advanced turboprops is presented. The theory and a computer code developed for evaluation at the shielding benefits that might be expected by an aircraft wing in a wing-mounted propeller installation are presented. Several computed directivity patterns are presented to demonstrate the theory. Recently with the advent of the concept of using the wing of an aircraft for noise shielding, the case of diffraction by a surface in a flow has been given attention. The present analysis is based on the case of diffraction of no flow. By combining a Galilean and a Lorentz transform, the wave equation with a mean flow can be reduced to the ordinary equation. Allowance is also made in the analysis for the case of a swept wing. The same combination of Galilean and Lorentz transforms lead to a problem with no flow but a different sweep. The solution procedures for the cases of leading and trailing edges are basically the same. Two normalizations of the solution are given by the computer program. FORTRAN computer programs are presented with detailed documentation. The output from these programs compares favorably with the results of other investigators.

Study on measurement of leading and trailing edges of blades based on optical scanning system

Science.gov (United States)

Chao, Bi; Liu, Hongguang; Bao, Longxiang; Li, Di

2017-10-01

In the field of aeronautics, the geometry and dimensional accuracy of the blade edges has a large influence on the aerodynamic performance of aero engine. Therefore, a non-contact optical scanning system is established to realize the measurement of leading and trailing edges of blades in a rapid, precise and efficient manner in the paper. Based on the mechanical framework of a traditional CMM, the system is equipped with a specified sensing device as the scanning probe, which is made up by two new-style laser scanning sensors installed at a certain angle to each other by a holder. In the measuring procedure, the geometric dimensions of the measured blade edges on every contour plane are determined by the contour information on five transversals at the leading or trailing edges, which can be used to determine the machining allowance of the blades. In order to verify the effectiveness and practicality of the system set up, a precision forging blade after grinded is adopted as the measured object and its leading and trailing edges are measured by the system respectively. In the experiment, the thickness of blade edges on three contour planes is measured by the optical scanning system several times. As the experiment results show, the repeatability accuracy of the system can meet its design requirements and the inspecting demands of the blade edges. As a result, the optical scanning system could serve as a component of the intelligent manufacturing system of blades to improve the machining quality of the blade edges.

An analytically-based method for predicting the noise generated by the interaction between turbulence and a serrated leading edge

Science.gov (United States)

Mathews, J. R.; Peake, N.

2018-05-01

This paper considers the interaction of turbulence with a serrated leading edge. We investigate the noise produced by an aerofoil moving through a turbulent perturbation to uniform flow by considering the scattered pressure from the leading edge. We model the aerofoil as an infinite half plane with a leading edge serration, and develop an analytical model using a Green's function based upon the work of Howe. This allows us to consider both deterministic eddies and synthetic turbulence interacting with the leading edge. We show that it is possible to reduce the noise by using a serrated leading edge compared with a straight edge, but the optimal noise-reducing choice of serration is hard to predict due to the complex interaction. We also consider the effect of angle of attack, and find that in general the serrations are less effective at higher angles of attack.

Experimental Investigation of Aeroelastic Deformation of Slender Wings at Supersonic Speeds Using a Video Model Deformation Measurement Technique

Science.gov (United States)

Erickson, Gary E.

2013-01-01

A video-based photogrammetric model deformation system was established as a dedicated optical measurement technique at supersonic speeds in the NASA Langley Research Center Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel. This system was used to measure the wing twist due to aerodynamic loads of two supersonic commercial transport airplane models with identical outer mold lines but different aeroelastic properties. One model featured wings with deflectable leading- and trailing-edge flaps and internal channels to accommodate static pressure tube instrumentation. The wings of the second model were of single-piece construction without flaps or internal channels. The testing was performed at Mach numbers from 1.6 to 2.7, unit Reynolds numbers of 1.0 million to 5.0 million, and angles of attack from -4 degrees to +10 degrees. The video model deformation system quantified the wing aeroelastic response to changes in the Mach number, Reynolds number concurrent with dynamic pressure, and angle of attack and effectively captured the differences in the wing twist characteristics between the two test articles.

Case Studies of Leading Edge Small Urban High Schools. Relevance Strategic Designs: 4. Boston Arts Academy

Science.gov (United States)

Shields, Regis Anne; Ireland, Nicole; City, Elizabeth; Derderian, Julie; Miles, Karen Hawley

2008-01-01

This report is one of nine detailed case studies of small urban high schools that served as the foundation for the Education Resource Strategies (ERS) report "Strategic Designs: Lessons from Leading Edge Small Urban High Schools." These nine schools were dubbed "Leading Edge Schools" because they stand apart from other high…

Case Studies of Leading Edge Small Urban High Schools. Relevance Strategic Designs: 6. Perspectives Charter School

Science.gov (United States)

Shields, Regis Anne; Ireland, Nicole; City, Elizabeth; Derderian, Julie; Miles, Karen Hawley

2008-01-01

This report is one of nine detailed case studies of small urban high schools that served as the foundation for the Education Resource Strategies (ERS) report "Strategic Designs: Lessons from Leading Edge Small Urban High Schools." These nine schools were dubbed "Leading Edge Schools" because they stand apart from other high…

Case Studies of Leading Edge Small Urban High Schools. Relevance Strategic Designs: 7. TechBoston Academy

Science.gov (United States)

Shields, Regis Anne; Ireland, Nicole; City, Elizabeth; Derderian, Julie; Miles, Karen Hawley

2008-01-01

This report is one of nine detailed case studies of small urban high schools that served as the foundation for the Education Resource Strategies (ERS) report "Strategic Designs: Lessons from Leading Edge Small Urban High Schools." These nine schools were dubbed "Leading Edge Schools" because they stand apart from other high…

Wind Tunnel Test of a Risk-Reduction Wing/Fuselage Model to Examine Juncture-Flow Phenomena

Science.gov (United States)

Kegerise, Michael A.; Neuhart, Dan H.

2016-01-01

A wing/fuselage wind-tunnel model was tested in the Langley 14- by 22-foot Subsonic Wind Tunnel in preparation for a highly-instrumented Juncture Flow Experiment to be conducted in the same facility. This test, which was sponsored by the NASA Transformational Tool and Technologies Project, is part of a comprehensive set of experimental and computational research activities to develop revolutionary, physics-based aeronautics analysis and design capability. The objectives of this particular test were to examine the surface and off-body flow on a generic wing/body combination to: 1) choose a final wing for a future, highly instrumented model, 2) use the results to facilitate unsteady pressure sensor placement on the model, 3) determine the area to be surveyed with an embedded laser-doppler velocimetry (LDV) system, 4) investigate the primary juncture corner- flow separation region using particle image velocimetry (PIV) to see if the particle seeding is adequately entrained and to examine the structure in the separated region, and 5) to determine the similarity of observed flow features with those predicted by computational fluid dynamics (CFD). This report documents the results of the above experiment that specifically address the first three goals. Multiple wing configurations were tested at a chord Reynolds number of 2.4 million. Flow patterns on the surface of the wings and in the region of the wing/fuselage juncture were examined using oil- flow visualization and infrared thermography. A limited number of unsteady pressure sensors on the fuselage around the wing leading and trailing edges were used to identify any dynamic effects of the horseshoe vortex on the flow field. The area of separated flow in the wing/fuselage juncture near the wing trailing edge was observed for all wing configurations at various angles of attack. All of the test objectives were met. The staff of the 14- by 22-foot Subsonic Wind Tunnel provided outstanding support and delivered

Vortex lift augmentation by suction on a 60 deg swept Gothic wing

Science.gov (United States)

Taylor, A. H.; Jackson, L. R.; Huffman, J. K.

1982-01-01

An experimental investigation was conducted in the Langley high-speed 7- by 10-foot wind tunnel to determine the aerodynamic performance of suction applied near the wing tips above the trailing edge of a 60 deg swept Gothic wing. Moveable suction inlets were symmetrically mounted in the proximity of the trailing edge, and the amount of suction was varied to maximize wing lift. Tests were conducted at Mach 0.15, 0.30, and 0.45, and the angle of attack was varied from -4 to 50 deg. The suction augmentation increases the lift coefficient over the entire range of angle of attack. The lift improvement exceeds the unaugmented wing lift by over 20%. Moreover, the augmented lift exceeds the lift predicted by vortex lattice theory to 30 deg angle of attack. Suction augmentation is postulated to strengthen the vortex system by increasing its velocity and making it more concentrated. This causes the vortex breakdown to be delayed to a higher angle of attack

Aerodynamic Flight-Test Results for the Adaptive Compliant Trailing Edge

Science.gov (United States)

Cumming, Stephen B.; Smith, Mark S.; Ali, Aliyah N.; Bui, Trong T.; Ellsworth, Joel C.; Garcia, Christian A.

2016-01-01

The aerodynamic effects of compliant flaps installed onto a modified Gulfstream III airplane were investigated. Analyses were performed prior to flight to predict the aerodynamic effects of the flap installation. Flight tests were conducted to gather both structural and aerodynamic data. The airplane was instrumented to collect vehicle aerodynamic data and wing pressure data. A leading-edge stagnation detection system was also installed. The data from these flights were analyzed and compared with predictions. The predictive tools compared well with flight data for small flap deflections, but differences between predictions and flight estimates were greater at larger deflections. This paper describes the methods used to examine the aerodynamics data from the flight tests and provides a discussion of the flight-test results in the areas of vehicle aerodynamics, wing sectional pressure coefficient profiles, and air data.

How lizards fly: A novel type of wing in animals.

Science.gov (United States)

Dehling, J Maximilian

2017-01-01

Flying lizards of the genus Draco are renowned for their gliding ability, using an aerofoil formed by winglike patagial membranes and supported by elongated thoracic ribs. It remains unknown, however, how these lizards manoeuvre during flight. Here, I present the results of a study on the aerial behaviour of Dussumier's Flying Lizard (Draco dussumieri) and show that Draco attaches the forelimbs to the leading edge of the patagium while airborne, forming a hitherto unknown type of composite wing. The attachment of the forelimbs to the patagium suggests that that aerofoil is controlled through movements of the forelimbs. One major advantage for the lizards is that the forelimbs retain their complete range of movement and functionality for climbing and running when not used as a part of the wing. These findings not only shed a new light on the flight of Draco but also have implications for the interpretation of gliding performance in fossil species.

Clap and Fling Interaction of Bristled Wings: Effects of Varying Reynolds Number and Bristle Spacing on Force Generation and Flow Structures

Science.gov (United States)

Kasoju, Vishwa Teja

The smallest flying insects with body lengths under 1 mm, such as thrips and fairyflies, typically show the presence of long bristles on their wings. Thrips have been observed to use wing-wing interaction via 'clap and fling' for flapping flight at low Reynolds number (Re) on the order of 10, where a wing pair comes into close contact at the end of upstroke and fling apart at the beginning of downstroke. We examined the effects of varying the following parameters on force generation and flow structures formed during clap and fling: (1) Re ranging from 5 to 15 for a bristled wing pair (G/D = 17) and a geometrically equivalent solid wing pair; and (2) ratio of spacing between bristles to bristle diameter (G/D) for Re = 10. The G/D ratio in 70 thrips species were quantified from published forewing images. Scaled-up physical models of three bristled wing pairs of varying G/D (5, 11, 17) and a solid wing pair (G/D = 0) were fabricated. A robotic model was used for this study, in which a wing pair was immersed in an aquarium tank filled with glycerin and driven by stepper motors to execute clap and fling kinematics. Dimensionless lift and drag coefficients were determined from strain gauge measurements. Phase-locked particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurements were used to examine flow through the bristles. Chordwise PIV was used to visualize the leading edge vortex (LEV) and trailing edge vortex (TEV) formed over the wings during clap and fling. With increasing G/D, larger reduction was observed in peak drag coefficients as compared to reduction in peak lift coefficients. Net circulation, defined as the difference in circulation (strength) of LEV and TEV, diminished with increasing G/D. Reduction in net circulation resulted in reducing lift generated by bristled wings as compared to solid wings. Leaky, recirculating flow through the bristles provided large drag reduction during fling of a bristled wing pair. If flight efficiency is defined as the ratio of lift to drag

Pneumatic artificial muscle and its application on driving variable trailing-edge camber wing

Science.gov (United States)

Yin, Weilong; Liu, Libo; Chen, Yijin; Liu, Yanju; Leng, Jinsong

2010-04-01

As a novel bionic actuator, pneumatic artificial muscle has high power to weight ratio. In this paper, the experimental setup to measure the static output force of pneumatic artificial muscle was designed and the relationship between the static output force and the air pressure was investigated. Experimental result shows the static output force of pneumatic artificial muscle decreases nonlinearly with increasing contraction ratio. A variable camber wing based on the pneumatic artificial muscle was developed and the variable camber wing model was manufactured to validate the variable camber concept. Wind tunnel tests were conducted in the low speed wind tunnel. Experimental result shows that the wing camber increases with increasing air pressure.

On the Total Edge Irregularity Strength of Generalized Butterfly Graph

Science.gov (United States)

Dwi Wahyuna, Hafidhyah; Indriati, Diari

2018-04-01

Let G(V, E) be a connected, simple, and undirected graph with vertex set V and edge set E. A total k-labeling is a map that carries vertices and edges of a graph G into a set of positive integer labels {1, 2, …, k}. An edge irregular total k-labeling λ: V(G) ∪ E(G) → {1, 2, …, k} of a graph G is a total k-labeling such that the weights calculated for all edges are distinct. The weight of an edge uv in G, denoted by wt(uv), is defined as the sum of the label of u, the label of v, and the label of uv. The total edge irregularity strength of G, denoted by tes(G), is the minimum value of the largest label k over all such edge irregular total k-labelings. A generalized butterfly graph, BFn , obtained by inserting vertices to every wing with assumption that sum of inserting vertices to every wing are same then it has 2n + 1 vertices and 4n ‑ 2 edges. In this paper, we investigate the total edge irregularity strength of generalized butterfly graph, BFn , for n > 2. The result is tes(B{F}n)=\\lceil \\frac{4n}{3}\\rceil .

Gliding swifts attain laminar flow over rough wings.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David Lentink

Full Text Available Swifts are among the most aerodynamically refined gliding birds. However, the overlapping vanes and protruding shafts of their primary feathers make swift wings remarkably rough for their size. Wing roughness height is 1-2% of chord length on the upper surface--10,000 times rougher than sailplane wings. Sailplanes depend on extreme wing smoothness to increase the area of laminar flow on the wing surface and minimize drag for extended glides. To understand why the swift does not rely on smooth wings, we used a stethoscope to map laminar flow over preserved wings in a low-turbulence wind tunnel. By combining laminar area, lift, and drag measurements, we show that average area of laminar flow on swift wings is 69% (n = 3; std 13% of their total area during glides that maximize flight distance and duration--similar to high-performance sailplanes. Our aerodynamic analysis indicates that swifts attain laminar flow over their rough wings because their wing size is comparable to the distance the air travels (after a roughness-induced perturbation before it transitions from laminar to turbulent. To interpret the function of swift wing roughness, we simulated its effect on smooth model wings using physical models. This manipulation shows that laminar flow is reduced and drag increased at high speeds. At the speeds at which swifts cruise, however, swift-like roughness prolongs laminar flow and reduces drag. This feature gives small birds with rudimentary wings an edge during the evolution of glide performance.

Case Studies of Leading Edge Small Urban High Schools. Relevance Strategic Designs: 8. High Tech High School

Science.gov (United States)

Shields, Regis Anne; Ireland, Nicole; City, Elizabeth; Derderian, Julie; Miles, Karen Hawley

2008-01-01

This report is one of nine detailed case studies of small urban high schools that served as the foundation for the Education Resource Strategies (ERS) report "Strategic Designs: Lessons from Leading Edge Small Urban High Schools." These nine schools were dubbed "Leading Edge Schools" because they stand apart from other high…

Case Studies of Leading Edge Small Urban High Schools. Personalization Strategic Designs: 9. MetWest High School

Science.gov (United States)

Shields, Regis Anne; Ireland, Nicole; City, Elizabeth; Derderian, Julie; Miles, Karen Hawley

2008-01-01

This report is one of nine detailed case studies of small urban high schools that served as the foundation for the Education Resource Strategies (ERS) report "Strategic Designs: Lessons from Leading Edge Small Urban High Schools." These nine schools were dubbed "Leading Edge Schools" because they stand apart from other high…

A fence barrier method of leading edge cell capture for explorative biochemical research.

Science.gov (United States)

Wager, Lucas J; Murray, Rachael Z; Thompson, Erik W; Leavesley, David I

2017-09-03

The scratch or wound-healing assay is used ubiquitously for investigating re-epithelialisation and has already revealed the importance of cells comprising the leading edge of healing epithelial wounds. However it is currently limited to studying the effect of known biochemical agents on the tissue of choice. Here we present an adaptation that extends the utility of this model to encompass the collection of cells from the leading edge of migrating epithelial sheets making available explorative biochemical analyses. The method is scalable and does not require expensive apparatus, making it suitable for large and small laboratories alike. We detail the application of our method and exemplify proof of principle data derived from primary human keratinocyte cultures.

A Reduced-Complexity Investigation of Blunt Leading-Edge Separation Motivated by UCAV Aerodynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Luckring, James M.; Boelens, Okko J.

2015-01-01

A reduced complexity investigation for blunt-leading-edge vortical separation has been undertaken. The overall approach is to design the fundamental work in such a way so that it relates to the aerodynamics of a more complex Uninhabited Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV) concept known as SACCON. Some of the challenges associated with both the vehicle-class aerodynamics and the fundamental vortical flows are reviewed, and principles from a hierarchical complexity approach are used to relate flow fundamentals to system-level interests. The work is part of roughly 6-year research program on blunt-leading-edge separation pertinent to UCAVs, and was conducted under the NATO Science and Technology Organization, Applied Vehicle Technology panel.

SIMS chemical analysis of extended impacts on the leading and trailing edges of LDEF experiment AO187-2

Science.gov (United States)

Amari, S.; Foote, J.; Swan, P.; Walker, R. M.; Zinner, E.; Lange, G.

1993-01-01

Numerous 'extended impacts' found in both leading and trailing edge capture cells were successfully analyzed for the chemical composition of projectile residues by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). Most data were obtained from the trailing edge cells where 45 of 58 impacts were classified as 'probably natural' and the remainder as 'possibly man-made debris.' This is in striking contrast to leading edge cells where 9 of 11 impacts so far measured are definitely classified as orbital debris. Although all the leading edge cells had lost their plastic entrance foils during flight, the rate of foil failure was similar to that of the trailing edge cells, 10 percent of which were recovered intact. Ultraviolet embrittlement is suspected as the major cause of failure on both leading and trailing edges. The major impediment to the accurate determination of projectile chemistry is the fractionation of volatile and refractory elements in the hypervelocity impact and redeposition processes. This effect had been noted in a simulation experiment but is more pronounced in the LDEF capture cells, probably due to the higher average velocities of the space impacts. Surface contamination of the pure Ge surfaces with a substance rich in Si, but also containing Mg and Al, provides an additional problem for the accurate determination of impactor chemistry. The effect is variable, being much larger on surfaces that were exposed to space than in those cells that remained intact. Future work will concentrate on the analyses of more leading edge impacts and the development of new SIMS techniques for the measurement of elemental abundances in extended impacts.

Numerical investigation of rarefaction effects in the vicinity of a sharp leading edge

Science.gov (United States)

Pan, Shaowu; Gao, Zhenxun; Lee, Chunhian

2014-12-01

This paper presents a study of rarefaction effect on hypersonic flow over a sharp leading edge. Both continuum approach and kinetic method: a widely spread commercial Computational Fluid Dynamics-Navior-Stokes-Fourier (CFD-NSF) software - Fluent together with a direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) code developed by the authors are employed for simulation of transition regime with Knudsen number ranging from 0.005 to 0.2. It is found that Fluent can predict the wall fluxes in the case of hypersonic argon flow over the sharp leading edge for the lowest Kn case (Kn = 0.005) in current paper while for other cases it also has a good agreement with DSMC except at the location near the sharp leading edge. Among all of the wall fluxes, it is found that coefficient of pressure is the most sensitive to rarefaction while heat transfer is the least one. A parameter based on translational nonequilibrium and a cut-off value of 0.34 is proposed for continuum breakdown in this paper. The structure of entropy and velocity profile in boundary layer is analyzed. Also, it is found that the ratio of heat transfer coefficient to skin friction coefficient remains uniform along the surface for the four cases in this paper.

Numerical investigation of mist/air impingement cooling on ribbed blade leading-edge surface.

Science.gov (United States)

Bian, Qingfei; Wang, Jin; Chen, Yi-Tung; Wang, Qiuwang; Zeng, Min

2017-12-01

The working gas turbine blades are exposed to the environment of high temperature, especially in the leading-edge region. The mist/air two-phase impingement cooling has been adopted to enhance the heat transfer on blade surfaces and investigate the leading-edge cooling effectiveness. An Euler-Lagrange particle tracking method is used to simulate the two-phase impingement cooling on the blade leading-edge. The mesh dependency test has been carried out and the numerical method is validated based on the available experimental data of mist/air cooling with jet impingement on a concave surface. The cooling effectiveness on three target surfaces is investigated, including the smooth and the ribbed surface with convex/concave columnar ribs. The results show that the cooling effectiveness of the mist/air two-phase flow is better than that of the single-phase flow. When the ribbed surfaces are used, the heat transfer enhancement is significant, the surface cooling effectiveness becomes higher and the convex ribbed surface presents a better performance. With the enhancement of the surface heat transfer, the pressure drop in the impingement zone increases, but the incremental factor of the flow friction is smaller than that of the heat transfer enhancement. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Reduced innate immunity of Cuban Treefrogs at leading edge of range expansion.

Science.gov (United States)

Goetz, Scott M; Romagosa, Christina M; Appel, Arthur G; Guyer, Craig; Mendonça, Mary T

2017-12-01

During geographic range expansion, populations of non-indigenous species at the invasion front may benefit from directing resources away from immune defense. To test this hypothesis, we investigated the strength of two innate immune components in populations of invasive Cuban Treefrogs (Osteopilus septentrionalis) in a long-colonized area (core region) and at the invasion front (leading-edge region). First, we compared the region-specific metabolic response of frogs injected with an endotoxin that induces systemic inflammation (lipopolysaccharide, LPS) to sham-injected control frogs pooled from both regions. Males and females were analyzed independently because we detected a sex-related difference in mass-independent metabolism of control frogs, with males exhibiting a significantly higher metabolic rate (F 1, 21  = 29.02, P leading-edge populations, there was no significant difference in the metabolic rate of LPS-injected and control frogs (males, P  = 0.195; females, P  = 0.132). Second, we directly compared bacterial killing ability of frog blood plasma between regions. Bactericidal ability of plasma was significantly greater in frogs from the core region in comparison with those at the leading edge (F 1, 26   = 28.67, P < 0.001). For both immune components that we examined, populations from the core exhibited stronger immune responses. Our findings support hypotheses predicting an inverse relationship between immunity and range expansion. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Aeroelastic analysis of an adaptive trailing edge with a smart elastic skin

Science.gov (United States)

Arena, Maurizio; Pecora, Rosario; Amoroso, Francesco; Noviello, Maria Chiara; Rea, Francesco; Concilio, Antonio

2017-09-01

Nowadays, the design choices of the new generation aircraft are moving towards the research and development of innovative technologies, aimed at improving performance as well as to minimize the environmental impact. In the current "greening" context, the morphing structures represent a very attractive answer to such requirements: both aerodynamic and structural advantages are ensured in several flight conditions, safeguarding the fuel consumption at the same time. An aeronautical intelligent system is therefore the outcome of combining complex smart materials and structures, assuring the best functionality level in the flight envelope. The Adaptive Trailing Edge Device (ATED) is a sub-project inside SARISTU (Smart Intelligent Aircraft Structures), an L2 level project of the 7th EU Framework programme coordinated by Airbus, aimed at developing technologies for realizing a morphing wing extremity addressed to improve the general aircraft performance and to reduce the fuel burning up to 5%. This specific study, divided into design, manufacturing and testing phases, involved universities, research centers and leading industries of the European consortium. The paper deals with the aeroelastic impact assessment of a full-scale morphing wing trailing edge on a Large Aeroplanes category aircraft. The FE (Finite Element) model of the technology demonstrator, located in the aileron region and manufactured within the project, was referenced to for the extrapolation of the structural properties of the whole adaptive trailing edge device placed in its actual location in the outer wing. The input FE models were processed within MSC-Nastran® environment to estimate stiffness and inertial distributions suitable to construct the aeroelastic stick-beam mock-up of the reference structure. Afterwards, a flutter analysis in simulated operative condition, have been carried out by means of Sandy®, an in-house code, according to meet the safety requirements imposed by the applicable

Variable camber wing based on pneumatic artificial muscles

Science.gov (United States)

Yin, Weilong; Liu, Libo; Chen, Yijin; Leng, Jinsong

2009-07-01

As a novel bionic actuator, pneumatic artificial muscle has high power to weight ratio. In this paper, a variable camber wing with the pneumatic artificial muscle is developed. Firstly, the experimental setup to measure the static output force of pneumatic artificial muscle is designed. The relationship between the static output force and the air pressure is investigated. Experimental result shows the static output force of pneumatic artificial muscle decreases nonlinearly with increasing contraction ratio. Secondly, the finite element model of the variable camber wing is developed. Numerical results show that the tip displacement of the trailing-edge increases linearly with increasing external load and limited with the maximum static output force of pneumatic artificial muscles. Finally, the variable camber wing model is manufactured to validate the variable camber concept. Experimental result shows that the wing camber increases with increasing air pressure and that it compare very well with the FEM result.

Flow Control Over Sharp-Edged Wings

Science.gov (United States)

2007-07-01

Gad-el-Hak (2001) as the ability to actively or passively manipulate a flow field to effect a desired change. The challenge is to achieve that change...combinations. Been able to independently control both is a great challenge . These requirements may appear too stringent for the sharp- edged airfoils...06 0𔄁 08 09 lic Vlc Figure 22: Pressure distributions for Model B at a=13 °. Stations I (left); 2 (right) 1 , -2 1 F - [12 1 -6a -16 08 -08 06 -06

Breaking down the delta wing vortex: The role of vorticity in the breakdown process

Science.gov (United States)

Nelson, R. C.; Visser, Kenneth Dale

1991-01-01

Experimental x-wire measurements of the flowfield above a 70 degree and 75 degree flat plate delta wing were performed at a Reynolds number of 250,000. Grids were taken normal to the wing at various chordwise locations for angles of attack of 20 degrees and 30 degrees. Axial and azimuthal vorticity distributions were derived from the velocity fields. The dependence of circulation on distance from the vortex core and on chordwise location was also examined. The effects of nondimensionalization in comparison with other experimental data is made. The results indicate that the circulation distribution scales with the local semispan and grows in a nearly linear fashion in the chordwise direction. The spanwise distribution of axial vorticity is severely altered through the breakdown region and the amount of vorticity present appears to reach a maximum immediately preceding breakdown. The axial velocity components with a negative sense, such as that found in the secondary vortex, seem to remain unaffected by changes in wing sweep or angle of attack, in direct contrast to the visible components. In addition, the inclusion of the local wing geometry into a previously derived correlation parameter allows the circulation of growing leading edge vortex flows to be reduced to a single curve.

The effect of butterfly-scale inspired patterning on leading-edge vortex growth

Science.gov (United States)

Wilroy, Jacob Aaron

Leading edge vortices (LEVs) are important for generating thrust and lift in flapping flight, and the surface patterning (scales) on butterfly wings is hypothesized to play a role in the vortex formation of the LEV. To simplify this complex flow problem, an experiment was designed to focus on the alteration of 2-D vortex development with a variation in surface patterning. Specifically, the secondary vorticity generated by the LEV interacting at the patterned surface was studied, as well as the subsequent effect on the LEV's growth rate and peak circulation. For this experiment, rapid-prototyped grooves based on the scale geometry of the Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) were created using additive manufacturing and were attached to a flat plate with a chordwise orientation, thus increasing plate surface area. The vortex generated by the grooved plate was then compared to a smooth plate case in an experiment where the plate translated vertically through a 2 x 3 x 5 cubic foot tow tank. The plate was impulsively started in quiescent water and flow fields at Rec = 1416, 2833, and 5667 are examined using Digital Particle Image Velocimetry (DPIV). The maximum vortex formation number is 2.8 and is based on the flat plate travel length and chord length. Flow fields from each case show the generation of a secondary vortex whose interaction with the shear layer and LEV caused different behaviors depending upon the surface type. The vortex development process varied for each Reynolds number and it was found that for the lowest Reynolds number case a significant difference does not exist between surface types, however, for the other two cases the grooves affected the secondary vortex's behavior and the LEV's ability to grow at a rate similar to the smooth plate case.

Mechanisms of collective cell movement lacking a leading or free front edge in vivo.

Science.gov (United States)

Uechi, Hiroyuki; Kuranaga, Erina

2017-08-01

Collective cell movement is one of the strategies for achieving the complex shapes of tissues and organs. In this process, multiple cells within a group held together by cell-cell adhesion acquire mobility and move together in the same direction. In some well-studied models of collective cell movement, the mobility depends strongly on traction generated at the leading edge by cells located at the front. However, recent advances in live-imaging techniques have led to the discovery of other types of collective cell movement lacking a leading edge or even a free edge at the front, in a diverse array of morphological events, including tubule elongation, epithelial sheet extension, and tissue rotation. We herein review some of the developmental events that are organized by collective cell movement and attempt to elucidate the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms, which include membrane protrusions, guidance cues, cell intercalation, and planer cell polarity, or chirality pathways.

Case Studies of Leading Edge Small Urban High Schools. Core Academic Strategic Designs: 3. University Park Campus School

Science.gov (United States)

Shields, Regis Anne; Ireland, Nicole; City, Elizabeth; Derderian, Julie; Miles, Karen Hawley

2008-01-01

This report is one of nine detailed case studies of small urban high schools that served as the foundation for the Education Resource Strategies (ERS) report "Strategic Designs: Lessons from Leading Edge Small Urban High Schools." These nine schools were dubbed "Leading Edge Schools" because they stand apart from other high…

Numerical and experimental study on the ability of dynamic roughness to alter the development of a leading edge vortex

Science.gov (United States)

Griffin, Christopher D.

Dynamic stall is an unsteady aerodynamic phenomenon garnering much research interest because it occurs in a variety of applications. For example, dynamic stall is known to occur on helicopter rotor blades, wind turbines, high maneuvering military aircraft, and flapping wings. Dynamic stall occurs when an aerodynamic lifting device, such as an airfoil, wing, or turbomachine blade, undergoes a rapid pitching motion. It also occurs on lifting devices that are impulsively started at high angles of attack. Dynamic stall can "delay" aerodynamic stall to angles of attack that are significantly beyond the static stall angle of attack. During dynamic stall a large leading edge vortex (LEV) is formed, which creates greater fluid acceleration over the wing or airfoil, thus sustaining lift. As this vortex is shed downstream stall eventually occurs and there is an abrupt increase in drag and a large shift in pitching moment. Research has been performed to better understand the mechanisms occurring during dynamic stall in an effort to find ways to best take advantage of the increased lift associated with dynamic stall, but avoid the downfalls that occur once stall is initiated. Few attempts have been made to alter the LEV, and these attempts have used methods associated with laminar boundary layer separation control. Although these methods have shown promise, they suffer from the drawback that they exhaust more energy than is gained by flow control, while also only being effective at certain flight regimes. The research described herein documents the first study on the ability of dynamic roughness to alter the LEV encountered on a rapidly pitching airfoil. Both numerical and experimental studies were performed, including two-dimensional and three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations as well as stereo and planar particle image velocimetry (PIV) experiments. Evidence for the ability of small scale dynamic roughness to alter the development of the LEV was

Leading edge analysis of transcriptomic changes during pseudorabies virus infection.

Science.gov (United States)

Fleming, Damarius S; Miller, Laura C

2016-12-01

Eight RNA samples taken from the tracheobronchial lymph nodes (TBLN) of pigs that were either infected or non-infected with a feral isolate of porcine pseudorabies virus (PRV) were used to investigate changes in gene expression related to the pathogen. The RNA was processed into fastq files for each library prior to being analyzed using Illumina Digital Gene Expression Tag Profiling sequences (DGETP) which were used as the downstream measure of differential expression. Analyzed tags consisted of 21 base pair sequences taken from time points 1, 3, 6, and 14 days' post infection (dpi) that generated 1,927,547 unique tag sequences. Tag sequences were analyzed for differential transcript expression and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) to uncover transcriptomic changes related to PRV pathology progression. In conjunction with the DGETP and GSEA, the study also incorporated use of leading edge analysis to help link the TBLN transcriptome data to clinical progression of PRV at each of the sampled time points. The purpose of this manuscript is to provide useful background on applying the leading edge analysis to GSEA and expression data to help identify genes considered to be of high biological interest. The data in the form of fastq files has been uploaded to the NCBI Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) (GSE74473) database.

Rotary balance data for a typical single-engine general aviation design for an angle-of-attack range of 8 deg to 90 deg. 2: High-wing model C

Science.gov (United States)

Hultberg, R. S.; Chu, J.

1980-01-01

Aerodynamic characteristics obtained in a helical flow environment utilizing a rotary balance located in the Langley spin g tunnel are presented in plotted form for a 1/6 scale, single engine, high wing, general aviation model. The configurations tested included the basic airplane and control deflections, wing leading edge devices, tail designs, and airplane components. Data are presented without analysis for an angle of attack range of 8 deg to 90 deg and clockwise and counter clockwise rotations covering a spin coefficient range from 0 to 0.9.

Rotary balance data for a typical single-engine general aviation design for an angle-of-attack range of 8 deg to 90 deg. 2: Low-wing model B

Science.gov (United States)

Bihrle, W., Jr.; Hultberg, R. S.

1979-01-01

Aerodynamic characteristics obtained in a rotational flow environment utilizing a rotary balance located in the spin tunnel are presented in plotted form for a 1/6.5 scale, single engine, low wing, general aviation airplane model. The configurations tested included the basic airplane, various wing leading-edge devices, tail designs, and rudder control settings as well as airplane components. Data are presented without analysis for an angle-of-attack range of 8 deg to 90 deg and clockwise and counter-clockwise rotations covering an (omega)(b)/2V range from 0 to 0.85.

Rotary balance data for a typical single-engine general aviation design for an angle-of-attack range of 8 deg to 90 deg. 1: High-wing model B

Science.gov (United States)

Bihrle, W., Jr.; Hultberg, R. S.

1979-01-01

Aerodynamic characteristics obtained in a rotational flow environment utilizing a rotary balance located in a spin tunnel are presented in plotted form for a 1/6.5 scale, single engine, high wing, general aviation airplane model. The configurations tested included the basic airplane, various wing leading-edge devices, tail designs, and rudder control settings as well as airplane components. Data are presented without analysis for an angle of attack range of 8 deg to 90 deg and clockwise and counter-clockwise rotations covering an omega b/2V range from 0 to 0.85.

Experimental and Computational Study of the Flow past a Simplified Geometry of an Engine/Pylon/Wing Installation at low velocity/moderate incidence flight conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Bury, Yannick; Lucas, Matthieu; Bonnaud, Cyril; Joly, Laurent; ISAE Team; Airbus Team

2014-11-01

We study numerically and experimentally the vortices that develop past a model geometry of a wing equipped with pylon-mounted engine at low speed/moderate incidence flight conditions. For such configuration, the presence of the powerplant installation under the wing initiates a complex, unsteady vortical flow field at the nacelle/pylon/wing junctions. Its interaction with the upper wing boundary layer causes a drop of aircraft performances. In order to decipher the underlying physics, this study is initially conducted on a simplified geometry at a Reynolds number of 200000, based on the chord wing and on the freestream velocity. Two configurations of angle of attack and side-slip angle are investigated. This work relies on unsteady Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes computations, oil flow visualizations and stereoscopic Particle Image Velocimetry measurements. The vortex dynamics thus produced is described in terms of vortex core position, intensity, size and turbulent intensity thanks to a vortex tracking approach. In addition, the analysis of the velocity flow fields obtained from PIV highlights the influence of the longitudinal vortex initiated at the pylon/wing junction on the separation process of the boundary layer near the upper wing leading-edge.

Detached Eddy Simulation of Flap Side-Edge Flow

Science.gov (United States)

Balakrishnan, Shankar K.; Shariff, Karim R.

2016-01-01

Detached Eddy Simulation (DES) of flap side-edge flow was performed with a wing and half-span flap configuration used in previous experimental and numerical studies. The focus of the study is the unsteady flow features responsible for the production of far-field noise. The simulation was performed at a Reynolds number (based on the main wing chord) of 3.7 million. Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) simulations were performed as a precursor to the DES. The results of these precursor simulations match previous experimental and RANS results closely. Although the present DES simulations have not reached statistical stationary yet, some unsteady features of the developing flap side-edge flowfield are presented. In the final paper it is expected that statistically stationary results will be presented including comparisons of surface pressure spectra with experimental data.

Methodology for heat flux investigation on leading edges using infrared thermography

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Corre, Y.; Gardarein, J.-L.; Dejarnac, Renaud; Gaspar, J.; Gunn, J. P.; Aumeunier, M.-H.; Courtois, X.; Missirlian, M.; Rigollet, F.

2017-01-01

Roč. 57, č. 1 (2017), č. článku 016009. ISSN 0029-5515 Institutional support: RVO:61389021 Keywords : IR thermography * leading edge * heat flux * limiter Subject RIV: BL - Plasma and Gas Discharge Physics OBOR OECD: Fluids and plasma physics (including surface physics) Impact factor: 3.307, year: 2016 http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0029-5515/57/1/016009/meta

Relationship between width of greater trochanters and width of iliac wings in tronchanteric bursitis.

Science.gov (United States)

Viradia, Neal K; Berger, Alex A; Dahners, Laurence E

2011-09-01

Trochanteric bursitis is a common disorder that is characterized by inflammation of the bursa, superficial to the greater trochanter of the femur, leading to pain in the lateral hip, and often occurs because of acute trauma or repetitive friction involving the iliotibial band, the greater trochanter, and the bursa. In the study reported here, we hypothesized that the increased incidence of bursitis may be the result of the increased prominence of the trochanter in relation to the wings of the iliac crest. Distances between the outermost edges of trochanters and iliac wings were measured in 202 patients from the University of North Carolina Health Care System-101 without a known diagnosis and 101 with a clinical diagnosis of trochanteric bursitis. To determine significance, t tests for nonpaired data were used. Mean (SD) difference between trochanter and iliac wing widths was 28 (20) mm in the group diagnosed with trochanteric bursitis and 17 (18) mm in the control group. The difference between the groups in this regard was significant (Pbursitis group and 1.05 (.06) in the control group. The difference between these groups was significant (Pbursitis.

Leading edge analysis of transcriptomic changes during pseudorabies virus infection

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Damarius S. Fleming

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Eight RNA samples taken from the tracheobronchial lymph nodes (TBLN of pigs that were either infected or non-infected with a feral isolate of porcine pseudorabies virus (PRV were used to investigate changes in gene expression related to the pathogen. The RNA was processed into fastq files for each library prior to being analyzed using Illumina Digital Gene Expression Tag Profiling sequences (DGETP which were used as the downstream measure of differential expression. Analyzed tags consisted of 21 base pair sequences taken from time points 1, 3, 6, and 14 days' post infection (dpi that generated 1,927,547 unique tag sequences. Tag sequences were analyzed for differential transcript expression and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA to uncover transcriptomic changes related to PRV pathology progression. In conjunction with the DGETP and GSEA, the study also incorporated use of leading edge analysis to help link the TBLN transcriptome data to clinical progression of PRV at each of the sampled time points. The purpose of this manuscript is to provide useful background on applying the leading edge analysis to GSEA and expression data to help identify genes considered to be of high biological interest. The data in the form of fastq files has been uploaded to the NCBI Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO (GSE74473 database.

Mechanisms in wing-in-ground effect aerodynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, Marvin Alan

back to the leading edge. Regions of reversed flow can occur and their effects, with regard to downforce production and racing car undertray design, are considered. In Chapter 6 we consider 'wing-in-tunnel' effects.

Aerodynamic performance and particle image velocimetery of piezo actuated biomimetic manduca sexta engineered wings towards the design and application of a flapping wing flight vehicle

Science.gov (United States)

DeLuca, Anthony M.

the wing. Th 60° angle stop wing achieved the largest total stroke angle and generated the most lift for the lowest power consumption of the wings tested. 2. Phase averaged stereo Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) data was collected at eight phases through the flap cycle on the 30°, 45°, and 60° angle stop wings. Wings were mounted transverse and parallel to the interrogating laser sheet, and planar velocity intersections at the wing mid-span, one chord below the wing, were compared to one another to verify data fidelity. A Rankine-Froude actuator disk model was adapted to calculate the approximate vertical thrust generated from the total momentum flux through the flapping semi-disk using the velocity field measurements. Three component stereo u, v, and w-velocity contour measurements confirmed the presence of extensive vortical structures in the vicinity of the wing. The leading edge vortex was successfully tracked through the stroke cycle appearing at approximately 25% span, increasing in circulatory strength and translational velocity down the span toward the tip, and dissipating just after 75% span. Thrust calculations showed the vertically mounted wing more accurately represented the vertical forces when compared to its corresponding force balance measurement than the horizontally mounted wing. The mid-span showed the highest vertical velocity profile below the wing; and hence, was the location responsible for the majority of lift production along the span.

Case Studies of Leading Edge Small Urban High Schools. Relevance Strategic Designs: 5. Life Academy of Health and Bioscience

Science.gov (United States)

Shields, Regis Anne; Ireland, Nicole; City, Elizabeth; Derderian, Julie; Miles, Karen Hawley

2008-01-01

This report is one of nine detailed case studies of small urban high schools that served as the foundation for the Education Resource Strategies (ERS) report "Strategic Designs: Lessons from Leading Edge Small Urban High Schools." These nine schools were dubbed "Leading Edge Schools" because they stand apart from other high…

Case Studies of Leading Edge Small Urban High Schools. Core Academic Strategic Designs: 1. Academy of the Pacific Rim

Science.gov (United States)

Shields, Regis Anne; Ireland, Nicole; City, Elizabeth; Derderian, Julie; Miles, Karen Hawley

2008-01-01

This report is one of nine detailed case studies of small urban high schools that served as the foundation for the Education Resource Strategies (ERS) report "Strategic Designs: Lessons from Leading Edge Small Urban High Schools." These nine schools were dubbed "Leading Edge Schools" because they stand apart from other high…

Case Studies of Leading Edge Small Urban High Schools. Core Academic Strategic Designs: 2. Noble Street Charter High School

Science.gov (United States)

Shields, Regis Anne; Ireland, Nicole; City, Elizabeth; Derderian, Julie; Miles, Karen Hawley

2008-01-01

This report is one of nine detailed case studies of small urban high schools that served as the foundation for the Education Resource Strategies (ERS) report "Strategic Designs: Lessons from Leading Edge Small Urban High Schools." These nine schools were dubbed "Leading Edge Schools" because they stand apart from other high…

A study of high alpha dynamics and flow visualization for a 2.5-percent model of the F-18 HARV undergoing wing rock

Science.gov (United States)

Quast, Thomas; Nelson, Robert C.; Fisher, David F.

1991-01-01

Free-to-roll experiments and flow visualization studies have been conducted for a 2.5-percent model of the F-18 undergoing unsteady wing rock oscillations. Data have been acquired in the form of roll angle time histories as well as video recordings and 35 mm photography of the forebody and leading edge extension vortices. The time histories were differentiated to produce angular velocity and angular acceleration. From this the roll moment as a function of time and/or roll angle could be estimated. A thorough analysis of the data has revealed a genuine wing-rock phenomenon. Off-surface flow visualization was used to identiify the forebody and LEX vortex core positions and their interaction in both static and dynamic configurations. A direct correlation between the dynamic data and visualized vortex activity during the wing-rock motion has been made.

Cooling Strategies for Vane Leading Edges in a Syngas Environment Including Effects of Deposition and Turbulence

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ames, Forrest [Univ. of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND (United States); Bons, Jeffrey [Univ. of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND (United States)

2014-09-30

The Department of Energy has goals to move land based gas turbine systems to alternate fuels including coal derived synthetic gas and hydrogen. Coal is the most abundant energy resource in the US and in the world and it is economically advantageous to develop power systems which can use coal. Integrated gasification combined cycles are (IGCC) expected to allow the clean use of coal derived fuels while improving the ability to capture and sequester carbon dioxide. These cycles will need to maintain or increase turbine entry temperatures to develop competitive efficiencies. The use of coal derived syngas introduces a range of potential contaminants into the hot section of the gas turbine including sulfur, iron, calcium, and various alkali metals. Depending on the effectiveness of the gas clean up processes, there exists significant likelihood that the remaining materials will become molten in the combustion process and potentially deposit on downstream turbine surfaces. Past evidence suggests that deposition will be a strong function of increasing temperature. Currently, even with the best gas cleanup processes a small level of particulate matter in the syngas is expected. Consequently, particulate deposition is expected to be an important consideration in the design of turbine components. The leading edge region of first stage vanes most often have higher deposition rates than other areas due to strong fluid acceleration and streamline curvature in the vicinity of the surface. This region remains one of the most difficult areas in a turbine nozzle to cool due to high inlet temperatures and only a small pressure ratio for cooling. The leading edge of a vane often has relatively high heat transfer coefficients and is often cooled using showerhead film cooling arrays. The throat of the first stage nozzle is another area where deposition potentially has a strongly adverse effect on turbine performance as this region meters the turbine inlet flow. Based on roughness

Rotary balance data for a typical single-engine general aviation design for an angle of attack range of 8 deg to 90 deg. 1: Low wing model C. [wind tunnel tests

Science.gov (United States)

Mulcay, W. J.; Rose, R. A.

1980-01-01

Aerodynamic characteristics obtained in a helical flow environment utilizing a rotary balance located in the Langley spin tunnel are presented in plotted form for a 1/6 scale, single engine, low wing, general aviation model (model C). The configurations tested included the basic airplane and control deflections, wing leading edge and fuselage modification devices, tail designs and airplane components. Data are presented without analysis for an angle of attack range of 8 deg to 90 deg and clockwise and counter clockwise rotations covering an omega b/2v range from 0 to .9.

The reduction of leading- and trailing-edge of high-voltage steep pulse in plasma immersion ion implantation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhu Zongtao; Gui Gang; Wang Zhijian; Gong Chunzhi; Yang Shiqin; Tian Xiubo

2010-01-01

During plasma immersion ion implantation (PIII) processes, due to the capacitance effect of the coaxial cable and plasma load, the output voltage pulse of high-voltage modulator possesses a longer leading- and trailing-edge time. The leading- and trailing-edge of the high voltage (HV) pulse have a critical effect on the ion-energy uniformity, depth and dose distribution during PIII processes. In this work, a tetrode was used as a hard tube to switch the DC high voltage, and a HV pulse modulator with a maximum pulse voltage of 40 kV was built successfully. The effect of the trailing-edge time on the implantation uniformity was simulated by one-dimension PIC method. The potential on the control grids of the tetrode was optimized to obtain a HV pulse with a short rise time. In our system, 200 V potential on grid one is utilized and the leading-edge time of pulse can be as small as 1 μs. The IGBTs in series was utilized to release the remnant charges reserved in the equivalent capacitance of the plasma load and coaxial cable. Thus the trailing-edge time of the HV pulse could be reduced. The effect of the driver signals with different delay time and the absorption parameters of each IGBTs were simulated by PSPICE software to optimize the design the electric circuit. (authors)

Wind tunnel tests for a flapping wing model with a changeable camber using macro-fiber composite actuators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Dae-Kwan; Han, Jae-Hung; Kwon, Ki-Jung

2009-01-01

In the present study, a biomimetic flexible flapping wing was developed on a real ornithopter scale by using macro-fiber composite (MFC) actuators. With the actuators, the maximum camber of the wing can be linearly changed from −2.6% to +4.4% of the maximum chord length. Aerodynamic tests were carried out in a low-speed wind tunnel to investigate the aerodynamic characteristics, particularly the camber effect, the chordwise flexibility effect and the unsteady effect. Although the chordwise wing flexibility reduces the effective angle of attack, the maximum lift coefficient can be increased by the MFC actuators up to 24.4% in a static condition. Note also that the mean values of the perpendicular force coefficient rise to a value of considerably more than 3 in an unsteady aerodynamic flow region. Additionally, particle image velocimetry (PIV) tests were performed in static and dynamic test conditions to validate the flexibility and unsteady effects. The static PIV results confirm that the effective angle of attack is reduced by the coupling of the chordwise flexibility and the aerodynamic force, resulting in a delay in the stall phenomena. In contrast to the quasi-steady flow condition of a relatively high advance ratio, the unsteady aerodynamic effect due to a leading edge vortex can be found along the wing span in a low advance ratio region. The overall results show that the chordwise wing flexibility can produce a positive effect on flapping aerodynamic characteristics in quasi-steady and unsteady flow regions; thus, wing flexibility should be considered in the design of efficient flapping wings

Turbulence Amplification with Incidence at the Leading Edge of a Compressor Cascade

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Garth V. Hobson

1999-01-01

Full Text Available Detailed measurements, with a two-component laser-Doppler velocimeter and a thermal anemometer were made near the suction surface leading edge of controlled-diffusion airfoils in cascade. The Reynolds number was near 700,000, Mach number equal to 0.25, and freestream turbulence was at 1.5% ahead of the cascade.

Superior Reproducibility of the Leading to Leading Edge and Inner to Inner Edge Methods in the Ultrasound Assessment of Maximum Abdominal Aortic Diameter.

Science.gov (United States)

Borgbjerg, Jens; Bøgsted, Martin; Lindholt, Jes S; Behr-Rasmussen, Carsten; Hørlyck, Arne; Frøkjær, Jens B

2018-02-01

Controversy exists regarding optimal caliper placement in ultrasound assessment of maximum abdominal aortic diameter. This study aimed primarily to determine reproducibility of caliper placement in relation to the aortic wall with the three principal methods: leading to leading edge (LTL), inner to inner edge (ITI), and outer to outer edge (OTO). The secondary aim was to assess the mean difference between the OTO, ITI, and LTL diameters and estimate the impact of using either of these methods on abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) prevalence in a screening program. Radiologists (n=18) assessed the maximum antero-posterior abdominal aortic diameter by completing repeated caliper placements with the OTO, LTL, and ITI methods on 50 still abdominal aortic images obtained from an AAA screening program. Inter-observer reproducibility was calculated as the limit of agreement with the mean (LoA), which represents expected deviation of a single observer from the mean of all observers. Intra-observer reproducibility was assessed averaging the LoA for each observer with their repeated measurements. Based on data from an AAA screening trial and the estimated mean differences between the three principal methods, AAA prevalence was estimated using each of the methods. The inter-observer LoA of the OTO, ITI, and LTL was 2.6, 1.9, and 1.9 mm, whereas the intra-observer LoA was 2.0, 1.6, and 1.5 mm, respectively. Mean differences of 5.0 mm were found between OTO and ITI measurements, 2.6 mm between OTO and LTL measurements, and 2.4 mm between LTL and ITI measurements. The prevalence of AAA almost doubled using OTO instead of ITI, while the difference between ITI and LTL was minor (3.3% vs. 4.0% AAA). The study shows superior reproducibility of LTL and ITI compared with the OTO method of caliper placement in ultrasound determination of maximum abdominal aortic diameter, and the choice of caliper placement method significantly affects the prevalence of AAAs in screening programs

A PKC-MARCKS-PI3K regulatory module links Ca2+ and PIP3 signals at the leading edge of polarized macrophages.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Brian P Ziemba

Full Text Available The leukocyte chemosensory pathway detects attractant gradients and directs cell migration to sites of inflammation, infection, tissue damage, and carcinogenesis. Previous studies have revealed that local Ca2+ and PIP3 signals at the leading edge of polarized leukocytes play central roles in positive feedback loop essential to cell polarization and chemotaxis. These prior studies showed that stimulation of the leading edge Ca2+ signal can strongly activate PI3K, thereby triggering a larger PIP3 signal, but did not elucidate the mechanistic link between Ca2+ and PIP3 signaling. A hypothesis explaining this link emerged, postulating that Ca2+-activated PKC displaces the MARCKS protein from plasma membrane PIP2, thereby releasing sequestered PIP2 to serve as the target and substrate lipid of PI3K in PIP3 production. In vitro single molecule studies of the reconstituted pathway on lipid bilayers demonstrated the feasibility of this PKC-MARCKS-PI3K regulatory module linking Ca2+ and PIP3 signals in the reconstituted system. The present study tests the model predictions in live macrophages by quantifying the effects of: (a two pathway activators-PDGF and ATP that stimulate chemoreceptors and Ca2+ influx, respectively; and (b three pathway inhibitors-wortmannin, EGTA, and Go6976 that inhibit PI3K, Ca2+ influx, and PKC, respectively; on (c four leading edge activity sensors-AKT-PH-mRFP, CKAR, MARCKSp-mRFP, and leading edge area that report on PIP3 density, PKC activity, MARCKS membrane binding, and leading edge expansion/contraction, respectively. The results provide additional evidence that PKC and PI3K are both essential elements of the leading edge positive feedback loop, and strongly support the existence of a PKC-MARCKS-PI3K regulatory module linking the leading edge Ca2+ and PIP3 signals. As predicted, activators stimulate leading edge PKC activity, displacement of MARCKS from the leading edge membrane and increased leading edge PIP3 levels, while

A PKC-MARCKS-PI3K regulatory module links Ca2+ and PIP3 signals at the leading edge of polarized macrophages.

Science.gov (United States)

Ziemba, Brian P; Falke, Joseph J

2018-01-01

The leukocyte chemosensory pathway detects attractant gradients and directs cell migration to sites of inflammation, infection, tissue damage, and carcinogenesis. Previous studies have revealed that local Ca2+ and PIP3 signals at the leading edge of polarized leukocytes play central roles in positive feedback loop essential to cell polarization and chemotaxis. These prior studies showed that stimulation of the leading edge Ca2+ signal can strongly activate PI3K, thereby triggering a larger PIP3 signal, but did not elucidate the mechanistic link between Ca2+ and PIP3 signaling. A hypothesis explaining this link emerged, postulating that Ca2+-activated PKC displaces the MARCKS protein from plasma membrane PIP2, thereby releasing sequestered PIP2 to serve as the target and substrate lipid of PI3K in PIP3 production. In vitro single molecule studies of the reconstituted pathway on lipid bilayers demonstrated the feasibility of this PKC-MARCKS-PI3K regulatory module linking Ca2+ and PIP3 signals in the reconstituted system. The present study tests the model predictions in live macrophages by quantifying the effects of: (a) two pathway activators-PDGF and ATP that stimulate chemoreceptors and Ca2+ influx, respectively; and (b) three pathway inhibitors-wortmannin, EGTA, and Go6976 that inhibit PI3K, Ca2+ influx, and PKC, respectively; on (c) four leading edge activity sensors-AKT-PH-mRFP, CKAR, MARCKSp-mRFP, and leading edge area that report on PIP3 density, PKC activity, MARCKS membrane binding, and leading edge expansion/contraction, respectively. The results provide additional evidence that PKC and PI3K are both essential elements of the leading edge positive feedback loop, and strongly support the existence of a PKC-MARCKS-PI3K regulatory module linking the leading edge Ca2+ and PIP3 signals. As predicted, activators stimulate leading edge PKC activity, displacement of MARCKS from the leading edge membrane and increased leading edge PIP3 levels, while inhibitors

Leading edge erosion of coated wind turbine blades: Review of coating life models

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Slot, H.M.; Gelinck, E.R.M.; Rentrop, A.; van der Heide, Emile

2015-01-01

Erosion of the leading edge of wind turbine blades by droplet impingement wear, reduces blade aerodynamic efficiency and power output. Eventually, it compromises the integrity of blade surfaces. Elastomeric coatings are currently used for erosion resistance, yet the life of such coatings cannot be

The influence of airfoil kinematics on the formation of leading-edge vortices in bio-inspired flight

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rival, David; Prangemeier, Tim; Tropea, Cameron [Technische Universitaet Darmstadt (Germany). Institute of Fluid Mechanics and Aerodynamics

2009-05-15

The formation process of leading-edge vortices has been investigated experimentally using Particle Image Velocimetry. Various airfoil kinematics have been tested, including asymmetric and peak-shifted plunging motions, and are evaluated for Re = 30,000 and a reduced frequency range of 0.2{<=}k{<=}0.33. By measuring the growth in the leading-edge vortex during the dynamic-stall process, the vortex pinch-off process is examined based on the concept of an optimal vortex formation time. The various kinematics are then evaluated with respect to their associated vortex strength, timing and convection into the wake. (orig.)

An empirically-based model for the lift coefficients of twisted airfoils with leading-edge tubercles

Science.gov (United States)

Ni, Zao; Su, Tsung-chow; Dhanak, Manhar

2018-04-01

Experimental data for untwisted airfoils are utilized to propose a model for predicting the lift coefficients of twisted airfoils with leading-edge tubercles. The effectiveness of the empirical model is verified through comparison with results of a corresponding computational fluid-dynamic (CFD) study. The CFD study is carried out for both twisted and untwisted airfoils with tubercles, the latter shown to compare well with available experimental data. Lift coefficients of twisted airfoils predicted from the proposed empirically-based model match well with the corresponding coefficients determined using the verified CFD study. Flow details obtained from the latter provide better insight into the underlying mechanism and behavior at stall of twisted airfoils with leading edge tubercles.

Experimental testing of spanwise morphing trailing edge concept

Science.gov (United States)

Pankonien, Alexander; Inman, Daniel J.

2013-04-01

Aircraft wings with smooth, hinge-less morphing ailerons exhibit increased chordwise aerodynamic efficiency over conventional hinged ailerons. Ideally, the wing would also use these morphing ailerons to smoothly vary its airfoil shape between spanwise stations to optimize the lift distribution and further increase aerodynamic efficiency. However, the mechanical complexity or added weight of achieving such a design has traditionally exceeded the potential aerodynamic gains. By expanding upon the previously developed cascading bimorph concept, this work uses embedded Macro-Fiber Composites and a flexure box mechanism, created using multi-material 3D printing, to achieve the Spanwise Morphing Trailing Edge (SMTE) concept. The morphing actuators are spaced spanwise along the wing with an elastomer spanning the gaps between them, which allows for optimization of the spanwise lift distribution while maintaining the continuity and efficiency of the morphing trailing edge. The concept is implemented in a representative section of a UAV wing with a 305 mm chord. A novel honeycomb skin is created from an elastomeric material using a 3D printer. The actuation capabilities of the concept are evaluated with and without spanning material on a test stand, free of aerodynamic loads. In addition, the actuation restrictions of the spanning elastomer, necessary in adapting the morphing concept from 2D to 3D, are characterized. Initial aerodynamic results from the 1'×1' wind-tunnel also show the effects of aerodynamic loading on the actuation range of the SMTE concept for uniform morphing.

Experimental investigation of wavy leading edges on rod-aerofoil interaction noise

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Weijie; Qiao, Weiyang; Tong, Fan; Wang, Liangfeng; Wang, Xunnian

2018-05-01

Experimental studies are performed to investigate the effect of wavy leading edges on rod-aerofoil interaction noise in an open-jet anechoic wind tunnel. NACA 0012 aerofoils with straight and wavy leading edges (denoted by SLE and WLE, respectively) are embedded in the wake of a circular rod. The WLEs are in the form of sinusoidal profiles of amplitude, A, and wavelength, W. Parametric studies of the amplitude and wavelength characteristics are conducted to understand the effect of WLEs on noise reduction. It is observed that the sound power reduction level is sensitive to both the amplitude and wavelength of the WLEs. The WLE with the largest amplitude and smallest wavelength can achieve the most considerable noise reduction effect of up to 4 dB. The influences of rod diameter, d, and free-stream velocity, U0, on the noise reduction effect of the WLEs are also investigated. In addition, a parametric study of the influence of separating rod-aerofoil distance on the acoustic radiation of the SLE case and on the sound power reduction level of the WLE cases is performed. It is found that a critical spacing exists where the acoustic radiation and noise reduction can be divided into two different "modes".

Leading-Edge Noise Prediction of General Airfoil Profiles with Spanwise-Varying Inflow Conditions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Miotto, Renato Fuzaro; Wolf, William Roberto; De Santana, Leandro Dantas

2018-01-01

This paper presents a study of the leading-edge noise radiated by an airfoil undergoing a turbulent inflow. The noise prediction of generic airfoil profiles subjected to spanwise-varying inflow conditions is performed with the support of Amiet’s theory and the inverse strip technique. In the

Leading-Edge Noise Prediction of General Airfoil Profiles with Spanwise-Varying Inflow Conditions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Miotto, Renato Fuzaro; Wolf, William Roberto; De Santana, Leandro Dantas

This paper presents a study of the leading-edge noise radiated by an airfoil undergoing a turbulent inflow. The noise prediction of generic airfoil profiles subjected to spanwise-varying inflow conditions is performed with the support of Amiet’s theory and the inverse strip technique. In the

Rapid and dynamic arginylation of the leading edge β-actin is required for cell migration.

Science.gov (United States)

Pavlyk, Iuliia; Leu, Nicolae A; Vedula, Pavan; Kurosaka, Satoshi; Kashina, Anna

2018-04-01

β-actin plays key roles in cell migration. Our previous work demonstrated that β-actin in migratory non-muscle cells is N-terminally arginylated and that this arginylation is required for normal lamellipodia extension. Here, we examined the function of β-actin arginylation in cell migration. We found that arginylated β-actin is concentrated at the leading edge of lamellipodia and that this enrichment is abolished after serum starvation as well as in contact-inhibited cells in confluent cultures, suggesting that arginylated β-actin at the cell leading edge is coupled to active migration. Arginylated actin levels exhibit dynamic changes in response to cell stimuli, lowered after serum starvation and dramatically elevating within minutes after cell stimulation by readdition of serum or lysophosphatidic acid. These dynamic changes require active translation and are not seen in confluent contact-inhibited cell cultures. Microinjection of arginylated actin antibodies into cells severely and specifically inhibits their migration rates. Together, these data strongly suggest that arginylation of β-actin is a tightly regulated dynamic process that occurs at the leading edge of locomoting cells in response to stimuli and is integral to the signaling network that regulates cell migration. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Direct Numerical Simulation of an Airfoil with Sand Grain Roughness on the Leading Edge

Science.gov (United States)

Ribeiro, Andre F. P.; Casalino, Damiano; Fares, Ehab; Choudhari, Meelan

2016-01-01

As part of a computational study of acoustic radiation due to the passage of turbulent boundary layer eddies over the trailing edge of an airfoil, the Lattice-Boltzmann method is used to perform direct numerical simulations of compressible, low Mach number flow past an NACA 0012 airfoil at zero degrees angle of attack. The chord Reynolds number of approximately 0.657 million models one of the test conditions from a previous experiment by Brooks, Pope, and Marcolini at NASA Langley Research Center. A unique feature of these simulations involves direct modeling of the sand grain roughness on the leading edge, which was used in the abovementioned experiment to trip the boundary layer to fully turbulent flow. This report documents the findings of preliminary, proof-of-concept simulations based on a narrow spanwise domain and a limited time interval. The inclusion of fully-resolved leading edge roughness in this simulation leads to significantly earlier transition than that in the absence of any roughness. The simulation data is used in conjunction with both the Ffowcs Williams-Hawkings acoustic analogy and a semi-analytical model by Roger and Moreau to predict the farfield noise. The encouraging agreement between the computed noise spectrum and that measured in the experiment indicates the potential payoff from a full-fledged numerical investigation based on the current approach. Analysis of the computed data is used to identify the required improvements to the preliminary simulations described herein.

A Time-Walk Correction Method for PET Detectors Based on Leading Edge Discriminators.

Science.gov (United States)

Du, Junwei; Schmall, Jeffrey P; Judenhofer, Martin S; Di, Kun; Yang, Yongfeng; Cherry, Simon R

2017-09-01

The leading edge timing pick-off technique is the simplest timing extraction method for PET detectors. Due to the inherent time-walk of the leading edge technique, corrections should be made to improve timing resolution, especially for time-of-flight PET. Time-walk correction can be done by utilizing the relationship between the threshold crossing time and the event energy on an event by event basis. In this paper, a time-walk correction method is proposed and evaluated using timing information from two identical detectors both using leading edge discriminators. This differs from other techniques that use an external dedicated reference detector, such as a fast PMT-based detector using constant fraction techniques to pick-off timing information. In our proposed method, one detector was used as reference detector to correct the time-walk of the other detector. Time-walk in the reference detector was minimized by using events within a small energy window (508.5 - 513.5 keV). To validate this method, a coincidence detector pair was assembled using two SensL MicroFB SiPMs and two 2.5 mm × 2.5 mm × 20 mm polished LYSO crystals. Coincidence timing resolutions using different time pick-off techniques were obtained at a bias voltage of 27.5 V and a fixed temperature of 20 °C. The coincidence timing resolution without time-walk correction were 389.0 ± 12.0 ps (425 -650 keV energy window) and 670.2 ± 16.2 ps (250-750 keV energy window). The timing resolution with time-walk correction improved to 367.3 ± 0.5 ps (425 - 650 keV) and 413.7 ± 0.9 ps (250 - 750 keV). For comparison, timing resolutions were 442.8 ± 12.8 ps (425 - 650 keV) and 476.0 ± 13.0 ps (250 - 750 keV) using constant fraction techniques, and 367.3 ± 0.4 ps (425 - 650 keV) and 413.4 ± 0.9 ps (250 - 750 keV) using a reference detector based on the constant fraction technique. These results show that the proposed leading edge based time-walk correction method works well. Timing resolution obtained

Composite corrugated structures for morphing wing skin applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thill, C; Etches, J A; Bond, I P; Potter, K D; Weaver, P M

2010-01-01

Composite corrugated structures are known for their anisotropic properties. They exhibit relatively high stiffness parallel (longitudinal) to the corrugation direction and are relatively compliant in the direction perpendicular (transverse) to the corrugation. Thus, they offer a potential solution for morphing skin panels (MSPs) in the trailing edge region of a wing as a morphing control surface. In this paper, an overview of the work carried out by the present authors over the last few years on corrugated structures for morphing skin applications is first given. The second part of the paper presents recent work on the application of corrugated sandwich structures. Panels made from multiple unit cells of corrugated sandwich structures are used as MSPs in the trailing edge region of a scaled morphing aerofoil section. The aerofoil section features an internal actuation mechanism that allows chordwise length and camber change of the trailing edge region (aft 35% chord). Wind tunnel testing was carried out to demonstrate the MSP concept but also to explore its limitations. Suggestions for improvements arising from this study were deduced, one of which includes an investigation of a segmented skin. The overall results of this study show that the MSP concept exploiting corrugated sandwich structures offers a potential solution for local morphing wing skins for low speed and small air vehicles

Next-generation science information network for leading-edge applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Urushidani, S.; Matsukata, J.

2008-01-01

High-speed networks are definitely essential tools for leading-edge applications in many research areas, including nuclear fusion research. This paper describes a number of advanced features in the Japanese next-generation science information network, called SINET3, and gives researchers clues on the uses of advanced high-speed network for their applications. The network services have four categories, multiple layer transfer, enriched virtual private network, enhanced quality-of-service, and bandwidth on demand services, and comprise a versatile service platform. The paper also describes the network architecture and advanced networking capabilities that enable economical service accommodation and flexible network resource assignment as well as effective use of Japan's first 40-Gbps lines

Next-generation science information network for leading-edge applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Urushidani, S. [National Institute of Informatics, 2-1-2 Hitotsubashi Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-8430 (Japan)], E-mail: urushi@nii.ac.jp; Matsukata, J. [National Institute of Informatics, 2-1-2 Hitotsubashi Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-8430 (Japan)

2008-04-15

High-speed networks are definitely essential tools for leading-edge applications in many research areas, including nuclear fusion research. This paper describes a number of advanced features in the Japanese next-generation science information network, called SINET3, and gives researchers clues on the uses of advanced high-speed network for their applications. The network services have four categories, multiple layer transfer, enriched virtual private network, enhanced quality-of-service, and bandwidth on demand services, and comprise a versatile service platform. The paper also describes the network architecture and advanced networking capabilities that enable economical service accommodation and flexible network resource assignment as well as effective use of Japan's first 40-Gbps lines.

Structural characteristics of the shock-induced boundary layer separation extended to the leading edge

Science.gov (United States)

Tao, Y.; Liu, W. D.; Fan, X. Q.; Zhao, Y. L.

2017-07-01

For a better understanding of the local unstart of supersonic/hypersonic inlet, a series of experiments has been conducted to investigate the shock-induced boundary layer separation extended to the leading edge. Using the nanoparticle-based planar laser scattering, we recorded the fine structures of these interactions under different conditions and paid more attention to their structural characteristics. According to their features, these interactions could be divided into four types. Specifically, Type A wave pattern is similar to the classic shock wave/turbulent boundary layer interaction, and Type B wave configuration consists of an overall Mach reflection above the large scale separation bubble. Due to the gradual decrease in the size of the separation bubble, the separation bubble was replaced by several vortices (Type C wave pattern). Besides, for Type D wave configuration which exists in the local unstart inlet, there appears to be some flow spillage around the leading edge.

Rotary balance data for a typical single-engine general aviation design for an angle-of-attack range of 8 deg to 90 deg. 1: Low-wing model A. [fluid flow and vortices data for general aviation aircraft to determine aerodynamic characteristics for various designs

Science.gov (United States)

Hultberg, R. S.; Mulcay, W.

1980-01-01

Aerodynamic characteristics obtained in a rotational flow environment utilizing a rotary balance are presented in plotted form for a 1/5 scale, single engine, low-wing, general aviation airplane model. The configuration tested included the basic airplane, various control deflections, tail designs, fuselage shapes, and wing leading edges. Data are presented without analysis for an angle of attack range of 8 to 90 deg and clockwise and counterclockwise rotations covering a range from 0 to 0.85.

Vortex coupling in trailing vortex-wing interactions

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, C.; Wang, Z.; Gursul, I.

2018-03-01

The interaction of trailing vortices of an upstream wing with rigid and flexible downstream wings has been investigated experimentally in a wind tunnel, using particle image velocimetry, hot-wire, force, and deformation measurements. Counter-rotating upstream vortices exhibit increased meandering when they are close to the tip of the downstream wing. The upstream vortex forms a pair with the vortex shed from the downstream wing and then exhibits large displacements around the wing tip. This coupled motion of the pair has been found to cause large lift fluctuations on the downstream wing. The meandering of the vortex pair occurs at the natural meandering frequency of the isolated vortex, with a low Strouhal number, and is not affected by the frequency of the large-amplitude wing oscillations if the downstream wing is flexible. The displacement of the leading vortex is larger than that of the trailing vortex; however, it causes highly correlated variations of the core radius, core vorticity, and circulation of the trailing vortex with the coupled meandering motion. In contrast, co-rotating vortices do not exhibit any increased meandering.

Fabrication of lithium/C-103 alloy heat pipes for sharp leading edge cooling

Science.gov (United States)

Ai, Bangcheng; Chen, Siyuan; Yu, Jijun; Lu, Qin; Han, Hantao; Hu, Longfei

2018-05-01

In this study, lithium/C-103 alloys heat pipes are proposed for sharp leading edge cooling. Three models of lithium/C-103 alloy heat pipes were fabricated. And their startup properties were tested by radiant heat tests and aerothermal tests. It is found that the startup temperature of lithium heat pipe was about 860 °C. At 1000 °C radiant heat tests, the operating temperature of lithium/C-103 alloy heat pipe is lower than 860 °C. Thus, startup failure occurs. At 1100 °C radiant heat tests and aerothermal tests, the operating temperature of lithium/C-103 alloy heat pipe is higher than 860 °C, and the heat pipe starts up successfully. The startup of lithium/C-103 alloy heat pipe decreases the leading edge temperature effectively, which endows itself good ablation resistance. After radiant heat tests and aerothermal tests, all the heat pipe models are severely oxidized because of the C-103 poor oxidation resistance. Therefore, protective coatings are required for further applications of lithium/C-103 alloy heat pipes.

Two Functionally Distinct Sources of Actin Monomers Supply the Leading Edge of Lamellipodia

Science.gov (United States)

Vitriol, Eric A.; McMillen, Laura M.; Kapustina, Maryna; Gomez, Shawn M.; Vavylonis, Dimitrios; Zheng, James Q.

2015-01-01

Summary Lamellipodia, the sheet-like protrusions of motile cells, consist of networks of actin filaments (F-actin) regulated by the ordered assembly from and disassembly into actin monomers (G-actin). Traditionally, G-actin is thought to exist as a homogeneous pool. Here, we show that there are two functionally and molecularly distinct sources of G-actin that supply lamellipodial actin networks. G-actin originating from the cytosolic pool requires the monomer binding protein thymosin β4 (Tβ4) for optimal leading edge localization, is targeted to formins, and is responsible for creating an elevated G/F-actin ratio that promotes membrane protrusion. The second source of G-actin comes from recycled lamellipodia F-actin. Recycling occurs independently of Tβ4 and appears to regulate lamellipodia homeostasis. Tβ4-bound G-actin specifically localizes to the leading edge because it doesn’t interact with Arp2/3-mediated polymerization sites found throughout the lamellipodia. These findings demonstrate that actin networks can be constructed from multiple sources of monomers with discrete spatiotemporal functions. PMID:25865895

Navier-Stokes Computations of a Wing-Flap Model With Blowing Normal to the Flap Surface

Science.gov (United States)

Boyd, D. Douglas, Jr.

2005-01-01

A computational study of a generic wing with a half span flap shows the mean flow effects of several blown flap configurations. The effort compares and contrasts the thin-layer, Reynolds averaged, Navier-Stokes solutions of a baseline wing-flap configuration with configurations that have blowing normal to the flap surface through small slits near the flap side edge. Vorticity contours reveal a dual vortex structure at the flap side edge for all cases. The dual vortex merges into a single vortex at approximately the mid-flap chord location. Upper surface blowing reduces the strength of the merged vortex and moves the vortex away from the upper edge. Lower surface blowing thickens the lower shear layer and weakens the merged vortex, but not as much as upper surface blowing. Side surface blowing forces the lower surface vortex farther outboard of the flap edge by effectively increasing the aerodynamic span of the flap. It is seen that there is no global aerodynamic penalty or benefit from the particular blowing configurations examined.

Limiting hydrophobic behavior and reflectance response of dragonfly and damselfly wings

Science.gov (United States)

Aideo, Swati Nawami; Mohanta, Dambarudhar

2016-11-01

In this work, through water contact angle (CA) measurements, we explore hydrophobic behavior of different parts of the hind wings of a dragonfly, Gynacantha Dravida and of a damselfly, Pseudagrion Microcephalum. As we move from the basal to distal region, the contact angle (θ) was found to vary in the range of 120-136° for both the species. Moreover, the wing of the dragonfly was seen to be more hydrophobic than that of the damselfly one. An attempt has also been made to link roughness factor (rφ) and solid-water fraction (φ) through the simplified Wenzel and Cassie-Baxter models. We noticed that, rφ and φ tend to follow a linear relation that gives rφ = 1.47 in the limit, Δθ segment was believed to be stronger than that of the basal part, the edge parts of the dragonfly and damselfly wings exhibited exponential associated growing trends with increasing wavelength. The relative reflectance response, corresponding to ∼494 nm and 370 nm peaks, gets nearly doubled for the edge specimen as compared to the distal and basal parts. The edge- specimen, which comprises of rectangular shaped, periodic microstructures, displayed carotenoid based two broad peak maxima at ∼422 nm and ∼494 nm. The surface roughness which arises through the distribution of oblate-shaped nano-fibrils is believed to be the basis of sub-surface volume scattering. Interrelating nanostructure surface roughness based wettability and reflectance characteristics would provide new insights on structure-property relationship in naturally available soft matter systems including templates of biological origin.

Stiffness of desiccating insect wings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mengesha, T E; Vallance, R R; Mittal, R

2011-01-01

The stiffness of insect wings is typically determined through experimental measurements. Such experiments are performed on wings removed from insects. However, the wings are subject to desiccation which typically leads to an increase in their stiffness. Although this effect of desiccation is well known, a comprehensive study of the rate of change in stiffness of desiccating insect wings would be a significant aid in planning experiments as well as interpreting data from such experiments. This communication presents a comprehensive experimental analysis of the change in mass and stiffness of gradually desiccating forewings of Painted Lady butterflies (Vanessa cardui). Mass and stiffness of the forewings of five butterflies were simultaneously measured every 10 min over a 24 h period. The averaged results show that wing mass declined exponentially by 21.1% over this time period with a time constant of 9.8 h, while wing stiffness increased linearly by 46.2% at a rate of 23.4 μN mm -1 h -1 . For the forewings of a single butterfly, the experiment was performed over a period of 1 week, and the results show that wing mass declined exponentially by 52.2% with a time constant of 30.2 h until it reached a steady-state level of 2.00 mg, while wing stiffness increased exponentially by 90.7% until it reached a steady-state level of 1.70 mN mm -1 . (communication)

Stiffness of desiccating insect wings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mengesha, T E; Vallance, R R [Department of Mechanical Engineering, The George Washington University, 738 Phillips Hall, 801 22nd St NW, Washington, DC 20052 (United States); Mittal, R, E-mail: vallance@gwu.edu [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, 126 Latrobe Hall, 3400 N Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States)

2011-03-15

The stiffness of insect wings is typically determined through experimental measurements. Such experiments are performed on wings removed from insects. However, the wings are subject to desiccation which typically leads to an increase in their stiffness. Although this effect of desiccation is well known, a comprehensive study of the rate of change in stiffness of desiccating insect wings would be a significant aid in planning experiments as well as interpreting data from such experiments. This communication presents a comprehensive experimental analysis of the change in mass and stiffness of gradually desiccating forewings of Painted Lady butterflies (Vanessa cardui). Mass and stiffness of the forewings of five butterflies were simultaneously measured every 10 min over a 24 h period. The averaged results show that wing mass declined exponentially by 21.1% over this time period with a time constant of 9.8 h, while wing stiffness increased linearly by 46.2% at a rate of 23.4 {mu}N mm{sup -1} h{sup -1}. For the forewings of a single butterfly, the experiment was performed over a period of 1 week, and the results show that wing mass declined exponentially by 52.2% with a time constant of 30.2 h until it reached a steady-state level of 2.00 mg, while wing stiffness increased exponentially by 90.7% until it reached a steady-state level of 1.70 mN mm{sup -1}. (communication)

Unsteady behavior of leading-edge vortex and diffuser stall in a centrifugal compressor with vaned diffuser

Science.gov (United States)

Fujisawa, Nobumichi; Hara, Shotaro; Ohta, Yutaka

2016-02-01

The characteristics of a rotating stall of an impeller and diffuser and the evolution of a vortex generated at the diffuser leading-edge (i.e., the leading-edge vortex (LEV)) in a centrifugal compressor were investigated by experiments and numerical analysis. The results of the experiments revealed that both the impeller and diffuser rotating stalls occurred at 55 and 25 Hz during off-design flow operation. For both, stall cells existed only on the shroud side of the flow passages, which is very close to the source location of the LEV. According to the CFD results, the LEV is made up of multiple vortices. The LEV is a combination of a separated vortex near the leading- edge and a longitudinal vortex generated by the extended tip-leakage flow from the impeller. Therefore, the LEV is generated by the accumulation of vorticity caused by the velocity gradient of the impeller discharge flow. In partial-flow operation, the spanwise extent and the position of the LEV origin are temporarily transmuted. The LEV develops with a drop in the velocity in the diffuser passage and forms a significant blockage within the diffuser passage. Therefore, the LEV may be regarded as being one of the causes of a diffuser stall in a centrifugal compressor.

Low-speed tests of a high-aspect-ratio, supercritical-wing transport model equipped with a high-lift flap system in the Langley 4- by 7-meter and Ames 12-foot pressure tunnels

Science.gov (United States)

Morgan, H. L., Jr.; Kjelgaard, S. O.

1983-01-01

The Ames 12-Foot Pressure Tunnel was used to determine the effects of Reynolds number on the static longitudinal aerodynamic characteristics of an advanced, high-aspect-ratio, supercritical wing transport model equipped with a full span, leading edge slat and part span, double slotted, trailing edge flaps. The model had a wing span of 7.5 ft and was tested through a free stream Reynolds number range from 1.3 to 6.0 x 10 to 6th power per foot at a Mach number of 0.20. Prior to the Ames tests, an investigation was also conducted in the Langley 4 by 7 Meter Tunnel at a Reynolds number of 1.3 x 10 to 6th power per foot with the model mounted on an Ames strut support system and on the Langley sting support system to determine strut interference corrections. The data obtained from the Langley tests were also used to compare the aerodynamic charactertistics of the rather stiff, 7.5-ft-span steel wing model tested during this investigation and the larger, and rather flexible, 12-ft-span aluminum-wing model tested during a previous investigation. During the tests in both the Langley and Ames tunnels, the model was tested with six basic wing configurations: (1) cruise; (2) climb (slats only extended); (3) 15 deg take-off flaps; (4) 30 deg take-off flaps; (5) 45 deg landing flaps; and (6) 60 deg landing flaps.

Supersoon vliegtuig

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schouten, G.

1999-01-01

When a conventional supersonic aircraft is traveling at a speed in excess of sound, shock waves, directed towards the ground is generated at the leading and rear edges of the wing. The present wing construction includes a reflector plate which reflects the leading edge wave upwards and eliminates

Deformation measurement in the wind tunnel for an UAV leading edge with a morphing mechanism

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Radestock, M.; Riemenschneider, J.; Monner, H.P.; Huxdorf, O.; Werter, N.P.M.; De Breuker, R.

2016-01-01

In a wind tunnel experiment a morphing wing with span extension and camber morphing was investigated. The considered aircraft is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with a span of 4 m. During the investigations a half wing model was analysed with pressure and structural measurement. The half wing model

Streamwise counter-rotating vortices generated by triangular leading edge pattern in flat plate boundary layer

KAUST Repository

Hasheminejad, S. M.; Mitsudharmadi, Hatsari; Winoto, S. H.; Lua, K. B.; Low, H. T.

2016-01-01

A series of flow visualizations were conducted to qualitatively study the development of streamwise counter-rotating vortices over a flat plate induced by triangular patterns at the leading edge of a flat plate. The experiments were carried out

Materials, Manufacturing, and Test Development of a Composite Fan Blade Leading Edge Subcomponent for Improved Impact Resistance

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Sandi G.; Handschuh, Katherine; Sinnott, Matthew J.; Kohlman, Lee W.; Roberts, Gary D.; Martin, Richard E.; Ruggeri, Charles R.; Pereira, J. Michael

2015-01-01

Application of polymer matrix composite materials for jet engine fan blades is becoming attractive as an alternative to metallic blades; particularly for large engines where significant weight savings are recognized on moving to a composite structure. However, the weight benefit of the composite is offset by a reduction of aerodynamic efficiency resulting from a necessary increase in blade thickness; relative to the titanium blades. Blade dimensions are largely driven by resistance to damage on bird strike. Further development of the composite material is necessary to allow composite blade designs to approximate the dimensions of a metallic fan blade. The reduction in thickness over the state of the art composite blades is expected to translate into structural weight reduction, improved aerodynamic efficiency, and therefore reduced fuel consumption. This paper presents test article design, subcomponent blade leading edge fabrication, test method development, and initial results from ballistic impact of a gelatin projectile on the leading edge of composite fan blades. The simplified test article geometry was developed to realistically simulate a blade leading edge while decreasing fabrication complexity. Impact data is presented on baseline composite blades and toughened blades; where a considerable improvement to impact resistance was recorded.

Model for adhesion clutch explains biphasic relationship between actin flow and traction at the cell leading edge

Science.gov (United States)

Craig, Erin M.; Stricker, Jonathan; Gardel, Margaret L.; Mogilner, Alex

2015-01-01

Cell motility relies on the continuous reorganization of a dynamic actin-myosin-adhesion network at the leading edge of the cell, in order to generate protrusion at the leading edge and traction between the cell and its external environment. We analyze experimentally measured spatial distributions of actin flow, traction force, myosin density, and adhesion density in control and pharmacologically perturbed epithelial cells in order to develop a mechanical model of the actin-adhesion-myosin self-organization at the leading edge. A model in which the F-actin network is treated as a viscous gel, and adhesion clutch engagement is strengthened by myosin but weakened by actin flow, can explain the measured molecular distributions and correctly predict the spatial distributions of the actin flow and traction stress. We test the model by comparing its predictions with measurements of the actin flow and traction stress in cells with fast and slow actin polymerization rates. The model predicts how the location of the lamellipodium-lamellum boundary depends on the actin viscosity and adhesion strength. The model further predicts that the location of the lamellipodium-lamellum boundary is not very sensitive to the level of myosin contraction. PMID:25969948

Leading edge effect in laminar boundary layer excitation by sound

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leehey, P.; Shapiro, P.

1980-01-01

Essentially plane pure tone sound waves were directed downstream over a heavily damped smooth flat plate installed in a low turbulence (0.04%) subsonic wind tunnel. Laminar boundary layer disturbance growth rates were measured with and without sound excitation and compared with numerical results from spatial stability theory. The data indicate that the sound field and Tollmien-Schlichting (T-S) waves coexist with comparable amplitudes when the latter are damped; moreover, the response is linear. Higher early growth rates occur for excitation by sound than by stream turbulence. Theoretical considerations indicate that the boundary layer is receptive to sound excitation primarily at the test plate leading edge. (orig.)

Supersonic vortex breakdown over a delta wing in transonic flow

Science.gov (United States)

Kandil, Hamdy A.; Kandil, Osama A.; Liu, C. H.

1993-01-01

The effects of freestream Mach number and angle of attack on the leading-edge vortex breakdown due to the terminating shock on a 65-degree, sharp-edged, cropped delta wing are investigated computationally, using the time-accurate solution of the laminar unsteady compressible full Navier-Stokes equations with the implicit upwind flux-difference splitting, finite-volume scheme. A fine O-H grid consisting of 125 x 85 x 84 points in the wrap-around, normal, and axial directions, respectively, is used for all the flow cases. Keeping the Reynolds number fixed at 3.23 x 10 exp 6, the Mach number is varied from 0.85 to 0.9 and the angle of attack is varied from 20 to 24 deg. The results show that, at 20-deg angle of attack, the increase of the Mach number from 0.85 to 0.9 results in moving the location of the terminating shock downstream. The results also show that, at 0.85 Mach number, the increase of the angle of attack from 20 to 24 deg results in moving the location of the terminating shock upstream. The results are in good agreement with the experimental data.

Subtractive Structural Modification of Morpho Butterfly Wings.

Science.gov (United States)

Shen, Qingchen; He, Jiaqing; Ni, Mengtian; Song, Chengyi; Zhou, Lingye; Hu, Hang; Zhang, Ruoxi; Luo, Zhen; Wang, Ge; Tao, Peng; Deng, Tao; Shang, Wen

2015-11-11

Different from studies of butterfly wings through additive modification, this work for the first time studies the property change of butterfly wings through subtractive modification using oxygen plasma etching. The controlled modification of butterfly wings through such subtractive process results in gradual change of the optical properties, and helps the further understanding of structural optimization through natural evolution. The brilliant color of Morpho butterfly wings is originated from the hierarchical nanostructure on the wing scales. Such nanoarchitecture has attracted a lot of research effort, including the study of its optical properties, its potential use in sensing and infrared imaging, and also the use of such structure as template for the fabrication of high-performance photocatalytic materials. The controlled subtractive processes provide a new path to modify such nanoarchitecture and its optical property. Distinct from previous studies on the optical property of the Morpho wing structure, this study provides additional experimental evidence for the origination of the optical property of the natural butterfly wing scales. The study also offers a facile approach to generate new 3D nanostructures using butterfly wings as the templates and may lead to simpler structure models for large-scale man-made structures than those offered by original butterfly wings. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Properties on the edge: graphene edge energies, edge stresses, edge warping, and the Wulff shape of graphene flakes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Branicio, Paulo S; Jhon, Mark H; Gan, Chee Kwan; Srolovitz, David J

2011-01-01

It has been shown that the broken bonds of an unreconstructed graphene edge generate compressive edge stresses leading to edge warping. Here, we investigate edge energies and edge stresses of graphene nanoribbons with arbitrary orientations from armchair to zigzag, considering both flat and warped edge shapes in the presence and absence of hydrogen. We use the second generation reactive empirical bond order potential to calculate the edge energies and stresses for clean and hydrogenated edges. Using these energies, we perform a Wulff construction to determine the equilibrium shapes of flat graphene flakes as a function of hydrogen chemical potential. While edge stresses for clean, flat edges are compressive, they become tensile if allowed to warp. Conversely, we find that edge energies change little (∼1%) with edge warping. Hydrogenation of the edges virtually eliminates both the edge energy and edge stresses. For warped edges an approximately linear relationship is found between amplitudes and wavelengths. The equilibrium shape of a graphene flake is determined by the value of the hydrogen chemical potential. For very small (and large) values of it the flakes have a nearly hexagonal (dodecagon) shape with zigzag oriented edges, while for intermediate values graphene flakes are found with complex shapes

Wind Tunnel Investigation of Passive Vortex Control and Vortex-Tail Interactions on a Slender Wing at Subsonic and Transonic Speeds

Science.gov (United States)

Erickson, Gary E.

2013-01-01

A wind tunnel experiment was conducted in the NASA Langley 8-Foot Transonic Pressure Tunnel to determine the effects of passive porosity on vortex flow interactions about a slender wing configuration at subsonic and transonic speeds. Flow-through porosity was applied in several arrangements to a leading-edge extension, or LEX, mounted to a 65-degree cropped delta wing as a longitudinal instability mitigation technique. Test data were obtained with LEX on and off in the presence of a centerline vertical tail and twin, wing-mounted vertical fins to quantify the sensitivity of the aerodynamics to tail placement and orientation. A close-coupled canard was tested as an alternative to the LEX as a passive flow control device. Wing upper surface static pressure distributions and six-component forces and moments were obtained at Mach numbers of 0.50, 0.85, and 1.20, unit Reynolds number of 2.5 million, angles of attack up to approximately 30 degrees, and angles of sideslip to +/-8 degrees. The off-surface flow field was visualized in cross planes on selected configurations using a laser vapor screen flow visualization technique. Tunnel-to-tunnel data comparisons and a Reynolds number sensitivity assessment were also performed. 15.

Characterization of Unsteady Flow Structures Near Leading-Edge Slat. Part 1; PIV Measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Jenkins, Luther N.; Khorrami, Mehdi R.; Choudhari, Meelan

2004-01-01

A comprehensive computational and experimental study has been performed at the NASA Langley Research Center as part of the Quiet Aircraft Technology (QAT) Program to investigate the unsteady flow near a leading-edge slat of a two-dimensional, high-lift system. This paper focuses on the experimental effort conducted in the NASA Langley Basic Aerodynamics Research Tunnel (BART) where Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) data was acquired in the slat cove and at the slat trailing edge of a three-element, high-lift model at 4, 6, and 8 degrees angle of attack and a freestream Mach Number of 0.17. Instantaneous velocities obtained from PIV images are used to obtain mean and fluctuating components of velocity and vorticity. The data show the recirculation in the cove, reattachment of the shear layer on the slat lower surface, and discrete vortical structures within the shear layer emanating from the slat cusp and slat trailing edge. Detailed measurements are used to examine the shear layer formation at the slat cusp, vortex shedding at the slat trailing edge, and convection of vortical structures through the slat gap. Selected results are discussed and compared with unsteady, Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS) computations for the same configuration in a companion paper by Khorrami, Choudhari, and Jenkins (2004). The experimental dataset provides essential flow-field information for the validation of near-field inputs to noise prediction tools.

Leading Edge Asynchronous Propeller (LEAPTech) Distributed Electric Propulsion (DEP) Concept

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The "Semi-Tandem Electric Distributed Wing Zip Aviation Advanced Concept Project" was renamed to LEAPTech DEP to better align with the content of the work. This...

DRE-Enhanced Swept-Wing Natural Laminar Flow at High Reynolds Numbers

Science.gov (United States)

Malik, Mujeeb; Liao, Wei; Li, Fe; Choudhari, Meelan

2013-01-01

Nonlinear parabolized stability equations and secondary instability analyses are used to provide a computational assessment of the potential use of the discrete roughness elements (DRE) technology for extending swept-wing natural laminar flow at chord Reynolds numbers relevant to transport aircraft. Computations performed for the boundary layer on a natural laminar flow airfoil with a leading-edge sweep angle of 34.6deg, free-stream Mach number of 0.75 and chord Reynolds numbers of 17 x 10(exp 6), 24 x 10(exp 6) and 30 x 10(exp 6) suggest that DRE could delay laminar-turbulent transition by about 20% when transition is caused by stationary crossflow disturbances. Computations show that the introduction of small wavelength stationary crossflow disturbances (i.e., DRE) also suppresses the growth of most amplified traveling crossflow disturbances.

Design methodology for wing trailing edge device mechanisms

OpenAIRE

Martins Pires, Rui Miguel

2007-01-01

Over the last few decades the design of high lift devices has become a very important part of the total aircraft design process. Reviews of the design process are performed on a regular basis, with the intent to improve and optimize the design process. This thesis describes a new and innovative methodology for the design and evaluation of mechanisms for Trailing Edge High-Lift devices. The initial research reviewed existing High-Lift device design methodologies and current f...

Method and System for Weakening Shock Wave Strength at Leading Edge Surfaces of Vehicle in Supersonic Atmospheric Flight

Science.gov (United States)

Daso, Endwell O. (Inventor); Pritchett, Victor E., II (Inventor); Wang, Ten-See (Inventor); Farr, Rebecca Ann (Inventor); Auslender, Aaron Howard (Inventor); Blankson, Isaiah M. (Inventor); Plotkin, Kenneth J. (Inventor)

2015-01-01

A method and system are provided to weaken shock wave strength at leading edge surfaces of a vehicle in atmospheric flight. One or more flight-related attribute sensed along a vehicle's outer mold line are used to control the injection of a non-heated, non-plasma-producing gas into a local external flowfield of the vehicle from at least one leading-edge surface location along the vehicle's outer mold line. Pressure and/or mass flow rate of the gas so-injected is adjusted in order to cause a Rankine-Hugoniot Jump Condition along the vehicle's outer mold line to be violated.

Managed aquifer recharge: rediscovering nature as a leading edge technology.

Science.gov (United States)

Dillon, P; Toze, S; Page, D; Vanderzalm, J; Bekele, E; Sidhu, J; Rinck-Pfeiffer, S

2010-01-01

Use of Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) has rapidly increased in Australia, USA, and Europe in recent years as an efficient means of recycling stormwater or treated sewage effluent for non-potable and indirect potable reuse in urban and rural areas. Yet aquifers have been relied on knowingly for water storage and unwittingly for water treatment for millennia. Hence if 'leading edge' is defined as 'the foremost part of a trend; a vanguard', it would be misleading to claim managed aquifer recharge as a leading edge technology. However it has taken a significant investment in scientific research in recent years to demonstrate the effectiveness of aquifers as sustainable treatment systems to enable managed aquifer recharge to be recognised along side engineered treatment systems in water recycling. It is a 'cross-over' technology that is applicable to water and wastewater treatment and makes use of passive low energy processes to spectacularly reduce the energy requirements for water supply. It is robust within limits, has low cost, is suitable from village to city scale supplies, and offers as yet almost untapped opportunities for producing safe drinking water supplies where they do not yet exist. It will have an increasingly valued role in securing water supplies to sustain cities affected by climate change and population growth. However it is not a universal panacea and relies on the presence of suitable aquifers and sources of water together with effective governance to ensure human health and environment protection and water resources planning and management. This paper describes managed aquifer recharge, illustrates its use in Australia, outlining economics, guidelines and policies, and presents some of the knowledge about aquifer treatment processes that are revealing the latent value of aquifers as urban water infrastructure and provide a driver to improving our understanding of urban hydrogeology.

Viscous wing theory development. Volume 1: Analysis, method and results

Science.gov (United States)

Chow, R. R.; Melnik, R. E.; Marconi, F.; Steinhoff, J.

1986-01-01

Viscous transonic flows at large Reynolds numbers over 3-D wings were analyzed using a zonal viscid-inviscid interaction approach. A new numerical AFZ scheme was developed in conjunction with the finite volume formulation for the solution of the inviscid full-potential equation. A special far-field asymptotic boundary condition was developed and a second-order artificial viscosity included for an improved inviscid solution methodology. The integral method was used for the laminar/turbulent boundary layer and 3-D viscous wake calculation. The interaction calculation included the coupling conditions of the source flux due to the wing surface boundary layer, the flux jump due to the viscous wake, and the wake curvature effect. A method was also devised incorporating the 2-D trailing edge strong interaction solution for the normal pressure correction near the trailing edge region. A fully automated computer program was developed to perform the proposed method with one scalar version to be used on an IBM-3081 and two vectorized versions on Cray-1 and Cyber-205 computers.

NUMERICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION ON THE FLUTTER OF CANTILEVERED PLATES WITH FREE LEADING EDGE IN AXIAL FLOW

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I. P. G. SOPAN RAHTIKA

2017-10-01

Full Text Available This paper reports the results of the numerical and experimental investigation on the flutter of cantilevered thin flat plates with free leading edge in axial flow. Three methods of in-vacuo modal analyses of the plates are presented and compared in this paper, namely the finite element modal analysis using ANSYS STUDENT Modal, the analytical beam model, and the experimental modal analysis. In this study, the numerical Fluid Structure Interaction was performed using the ANSYS STUDENT Structural Transient Analysis and ANSYS STUDENT CFX to obtain the system response in the time domain. Furthermore, the experimental investigation was conducted in the smooth flow of a wind tunnel to observe the flutter speeds of the plates and their vibration characteristics. The plates’ vibration behaviors were mapped on the normalized air speed. The normalized air speed can be divided into four speed zones based on the experimental plates’ vibration characteristics. A new finding observed during the experiments is the presence of intermittent vibration behavior that is unique to the free leading edge configuration and has not been reported by other researchers in the earlier references of the clamped leading edge configuration. The potential application of this Fluid Structure Interaction configuration to wind harvesting is inquired.

Water Tunnel Studies of Dynamic Wing Flap Effects

Science.gov (United States)

2016-06-01

NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA THESIS Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited WATER TUNNEL...Master’s Thesis 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE WATER TUNNEL STUDIES OF DYNAMIC WING FLAP EFFECTS 5. FUNDING NUMBERS 6. AUTHOR(S) Edgar E. González 7. PERFORMING...ABSTRACT (maximum 200 words ) The flow features developing over a two-element NACA 0012 airfoil, with the rear portion serving as a trailing edge flap

Breaking down the delta wing vortex: The role of vorticity in the breakdown process. Ph.D. Thesis Final Report

Science.gov (United States)

Nelson, Robert C.; Visser, Kenneth D.

1990-01-01

Experimental x-wire measurements of the flowfield above a 70 and 75 deg flat plate delta wing were performed at a Reynolds number of 250,000. Grids were taken normal to the wing at various chordwise locations for angles of attack of 20 and 30 deg. Axial and azimuthal vorticity distributions were derived from the velocity fields. The dependence of circulation on distance from the vortex core and on chordwise location was also examined. The effects of nondimensionalization in comparison with other experimental data is made. The results indicate that the circulation distribution scales with the local semispan and grows in a nearly linear fashion in the chordwise direction. The spanwise distribution of axial vorticity is severely altered through the breakdown. The axial vorticity components with a negative sense, such as that found in the secondary vortex, seem to remain unaffected by changes in wind sweep or angle of attack, in direct contrast to the positive components. In addition, the inclusion of the local wing geometry into a previously derived correlation parameter allows the circulation of growing leading edge vortex flows to be reduced into a single curve.

Aeroelastic Modeling of Elastically Shaped Aircraft Concept via Wing Shaping Control for Drag Reduction

Science.gov (United States)

Nguyen, Nhan; James Urnes, Sr.

2012-01-01

Lightweight aircraft design has received a considerable attention in recent years as a means for improving cruise efficiency. Reducing aircraft weight results in lower lift requirements which directly translate into lower drag, hence reduced engine thrust requirements during cruise. The use of lightweight materials such as advanced composite materials has been adopted by airframe manufacturers in current and future aircraft. Modern lightweight materials can provide less structural rigidity while maintaining load-carrying capacity. As structural flexibility increases, aeroelastic interactions with aerodynamic forces and moments become an increasingly important consideration in aircraft design and aerodynamic performance. Furthermore, aeroelastic interactions with flight dynamics can result in issues with vehicle stability and control. Abstract This paper describes a recent aeroelastic modeling effort for an elastically shaped aircraft concept (ESAC). The aircraft model is based on the rigid-body generic transport model (GTM) originally developed at NASA Langley Research Center. The ESAC distinguishes itself from the GTM in that it is equipped with highly flexible wing structures as a weight reduction design feature. More significantly, the wings are outfitted with a novel control effector concept called variable camber continuous trailing edge (VCCTE) flap system for active control of wing aeroelastic deflections to optimize the local angle of attack of wing sections for improved aerodynamic efficiency through cruise drag reduction and lift enhancement during take-off and landing. The VCCTE flap is a multi-functional and aerodynamically efficient device capable of achieving high lift-to-drag ratios. The flap system is comprised of three chordwise segments that form the variable camber feature of the flap and multiple spanwise segments that form a piecewise continuous trailing edge. By configuring the flap camber and trailing edge shape, drag reduction could be

The Leading Edge of Early Childhood Education: Linking Science to Policy for a New Generation

Science.gov (United States)

Lesaux, Nonie K., Ed.; Jones, Stephanie M., Ed.

2016-01-01

"The Leading Edge of Early Childhood Education" aims to support the effort to simultaneously scale up and improve the quality of early childhood education by bringing together relevant insights from emerging research to provide guidance for this critical, fledgling field. It reflects the growing recognition that early childhood…

Large CYBER-205-model of the Euler equations for vortex-stretched turbulent flow around Delta wings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rizzi, A.; Purcell, C.J.

1985-01-01

The large-scale numerical simulation of fluid flow is described as a discipline within the field of software engineering. As an example of such work, a vortex flow field is analyzed for its essential physical flow features, an appropriate mathematical description is presented (the Euler equations with an artificial viscosity model), a numerical algorithm to solve mathematical equations is described, and the programming methodology which allows us to attain a very high degree of vectorization on the CYBER 205 is discussed. Four simulated flowfields with vorticity shed from wing edges are computed with up to as many as one million grid points and verify the realism of the simulation model. The computed solutions show all of the qualitative features that are expected in these flows. The twisted cranked-and-cropped delta case is one where the leading-edge vortex is highly stretched and unstable, displaying ultimately inviscid large-scale turbulent-like phenomena

Aerodynamics and Ecomorphology of Flexible Feathers and Morphing Bird Wings

Science.gov (United States)

Klaassen van Oorschot, Brett

shape affected performance during flapping but not gliding flight. Extended wings outperformed swept wings by about a third in flapping flight. This finding contrasts previous work that showed wing shape didn't affect performance in flapping flight (Usherwood and Ellington, 2002a, 2002b). This work provided key insights that inspired the second and third chapters of my dissertation. The second chapter examines the significance of wing tip slots across 135 avian species, ranging from small passerines to large seabirds. This research was completed with the help of an undergraduate international researcher, Ho Kwan Tang, and is currently in press at the Journal of Morphology (Klaassen van Oorschot, in press). These slots are caused by asymmetric emarginations missing from the leading and trailing edge of the primary feathers. We used a novel metric of primary feather emargination that allowed us to show that wing tip slots are nearly ubiquitous across the avian clade. We also showed that emargination is segregated according to habitat and behavioral metrics like flight style. Finally, we showed that emargination scaled with mass. These findings illustrated that wing tip slots may be an adaptation for efficacy during vertical takeoff rather than efficiency during gliding flight. In the third chapter, I sought to better understand the function of these slotted primary feathers. In an effort to bridge biology and aeronautics, I collaborated with Richard Choroszucha, an aeronautical engineer from the University of Michigan, on this work. These feathers deflect under aerodynamic load, and it has been hypothesized that they reduce induced drag during gliding flight (Tucker, 1993, 1995). We exposed individual primary feathers to different speeds in the wind tunnel and measured deflection such as bend, twist, and sweep. We found that feather deflection reoriented force, resulting in increased lateral stability and delayed stall characteristics compared to a rigid airfoil. These

The non-receptor tyrosine kinase Lyn controls neutrophil adhesion by recruiting the CrkL–C3G complex and activating Rap1 at the leading edge

Science.gov (United States)

He, Yuan; Kapoor, Ashish; Cook, Sara; Liu, Shubai; Xiang, Yang; Rao, Christopher V.; Kenis, Paul J. A.; Wang, Fei

2011-01-01

Establishing new adhesions at the extended leading edges of motile cells is essential for stable polarity and persistent motility. Despite recent identification of signaling pathways that mediate polarity and chemotaxis in neutrophils, little is known about molecular mechanisms governing cell–extracellular-matrix (ECM) adhesion in these highly polarized and rapidly migrating cells. Here, we describe a signaling pathway in neutrophils that is essential for localized integrin activation, leading edge attachment and persistent migration during chemotaxis. This pathway depends upon Gi-protein-mediated activation and leading edge recruitment of Lyn, a non-receptor tyrosine kinase belonging to the Src kinase family. We identified the small GTPase Rap1 as a major downstream effector of Lyn to regulate neutrophil adhesion during chemotaxis. Depletion of Lyn in neutrophil-like HL-60 cells prevented chemoattractant-induced Rap1 activation at the leading edge of the cell, whereas ectopic expression of Rap1 largely rescued the defects induced by Lyn depletion. Furthermore, Lyn controls spatial activation of Rap1 by recruiting the CrkL–C3G protein complex to the leading edge. Together, these results provide novel mechanistic insights into the poorly understood signaling network that controls leading edge adhesion during chemotaxis of neutrophils, and possibly other amoeboid cells. PMID:21628423

Mechanisms of leading edge protrusion in interstitial migration

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, Kerry; Lewalle, Alexandre; Fritzsche, Marco; Thorogate, Richard; Duke, Tom; Charras, Guillaume

2013-01-01

While the molecular and biophysical mechanisms underlying cell protrusion on two-dimensional substrates are well understood, our knowledge of the actin structures driving protrusion in three-dimensional environments is poor, despite relevance to inflammation, development and cancer. Here we report that, during chemotactic migration through microchannels with 5 μm × 5 μm cross-sections, HL60 neutrophil-like cells assemble an actin-rich slab filling the whole channel cross-section at their front. This leading edge comprises two distinct F-actin networks: an adherent network that polymerizes perpendicular to cell-wall interfaces and a ‘free’ network that grows from the free membrane at the cell front. Each network is polymerized by a distinct nucleator and, due to their geometrical arrangement, the networks interact mechanically. On the basis of our experimental data, we propose that, during interstitial migration, medial growth of the adherent network compresses the free network preventing its retrograde movement and enabling new polymerization to be converted into forward protrusion. PMID:24305616

The FAK–Arp2/3 interaction promotes leading edge advance and haptosensing by coupling nascent adhesions to lamellipodia actin

Science.gov (United States)

Swaminathan, Vinay; Fischer, R. S.; Waterman, Clare M.

2016-01-01

Cell migration is initiated in response to biochemical or physical cues in the environment that promote actin-mediated lamellipodial protrusion followed by the formation of nascent integrin adhesions (NAs) within the protrusion to drive leading edge advance. Although FAK is known to be required for cell migration through effects on focal adhesions, its role in NA formation and lamellipodial dynamics is unclear. Live-cell microscopy of FAK−/− cells with expression of phosphorylation deficient or a FERM-domain mutant deficient in Arp2/3 binding revealed a requirement for FAK in promoting the dense formation, transient stabilization, and timely turnover of NA within lamellipodia to couple actin-driven protrusion to adhesion and advance of the leading edge. Phosphorylation on Y397 of FAK promotes dense NA formation but is dispensable for transient NA stabilization and leading edge advance. In contrast, transient NA stabilization and advance of the cell edge requires FAK–Arp2/3 interaction, which promotes Arp2/3 localization to NA and reduces FAK activity. Haptosensing of extracellular matrix (ECM) concentration during migration requires the interaction between FAK and Arp2/3, whereas FAK phosphorylation modulates mechanosensing of ECM stiffness during spreading. Taken together, our results show that mechanistically separable functions of FAK in NA are required for cells to distinguish distinct properties of their environment during migration. PMID:26842895

Aeroelastic Flutter of Subsonic Aircraft Wing Section with Control Surface

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aeroelastic Flutter of Subsonic Aircraft Wing Section with Control Surface

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Aeroelastic flutter in aircraft mechanisms is unavoidable, essentially in the wing and control surface. In this work a three degree-of-freedom aeroelastic wing section with trailing edge flap is modeled numerically and theoretically. FLUENT code based on the steady finite volume is used for the prediction of the steady aerodynamic characteristics (lift, drag, pitching moment, velocity, and pressure distribution as well as the Duhamel formulation is used to model the aerodynamic loads theoretically. The system response (pitch, flap pitch and plunge was determined by integration the governing equations using MATLAB with a standard Runge–Kutta algorithm in conjunction with Henon’s method. The results are compared with previous experimental data. The results show that the aerodynamic loads and wing-flap system response are increased when increasing the flow speed. On the other hand the aeroelastic response led up to limit cycle oscillation when the flow equals or more than flutter speed.

Blue-wing enhancement of the chromospheric Mg II h and k lines in a solar flare

Science.gov (United States)

Tei, Akiko; Sakaue, Takahito; Okamoto, Takenori J.; Kawate, Tomoko; Heinzel, Petr; UeNo, Satoru; Asai, Ayumi; Ichimoto, Kiyoshi; Shibata, Kazunari

2018-05-01

We performed coordinated observations of AR 12205, which showed a C-class flare on 2014 November 11, with the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) and the Domeless Solar Telescope (DST) at Hida Observatory. Using spectral data in the Si IV 1403 Å, C II 1335 Å, and Mg II h and k lines from IRIS and the Ca II K, Ca II 8542 Å, and Hα lines from DST, we investigated a moving flare kernel during the flare. In the Mg II h line, the leading edge of the flare kernel showed an intensity enhancement in the blue wing and a smaller intensity of the blue-side peak (h2v) than that of the red-side one (h2r). The blueshift lasted for 9-48 s with a typical speed of 10.1 ± 2.6 km s-1, which was followed by a high intensity and a large redshift with a speed of up to 51 km s-1 detected in the Mg II h line. The large redshift was a common property for all six lines, but the blueshift prior to it was found only in the Mg II lines. Cloud modeling of the Mg II h line suggests that the blue-wing enhancement with such a peak difference could have been caused by a chromospheric-temperature (cool) upflow. We discuss a scenario in which an upflow of cool plasma is lifted up by expanding hot plasma owing to the deep penetration of non-thermal electrons into the chromosphere. Furthermore, we found that the blueshift persisted without any subsequent redshift in the leading edge of the flare kernel during its decaying phase. The cause of such a long-lasting blueshift is also discussed.

Myosin X is recruited to nascent focal adhesions at the leading edge and induces multi-cycle filopodial elongation.

Science.gov (United States)

He, Kangmin; Sakai, Tsuyoshi; Tsukasaki, Yoshikazu; Watanabe, Tomonobu M; Ikebe, Mitsuo

2017-10-20

Filopodia protrude from the leading edge of cells and play important roles in cell motility. Here we report the mechanism of myosin X (encoded by Myo10)-induced multi-cycle filopodia extension. We found that actin, Arp2/3, vinculin and integrin-β first accumulated at the cell's leading edge. Myosin X was then gathered at these sites, gradually clustered by lateral movement, and subsequently initiated filopodia formation. During filopodia extension, we found the translocation of Arp2/3 and integrin-β along filopodia. Arp2/3 and integrin-β then became localized at the tip of filopodia, from where myosin X initiated the second extension of filopodia with a change in extension direction, thus producing long filopodia. Elimination of integrin-β, Arp2/3 and vinculin by siRNA significantly attenuated the myosin-X-induced long filopodia formation. We propose the following mechanism. Myosin X accumulates at nascent focal adhesions at the cell's leading edge, where myosin X promotes actin convergence to create the base of filopodia. Then myosin X moves to the filopodia tip and attracts integrin-β and Arp2/3 for further actin nucleation. The tip-located myosin X then initiates the second cycle of filopodia elongation to produce the long filopodia.

Development of Streamwise Counter-Rotating Vortices in Flat Plate Boundary Layer Pre-set by Leading Edge Patterns

KAUST Repository

Hasheminejad, S.M.; Mitsudharmadi, Hatsari; Winoto, S.H.; Low, H.T.; Lua, K.B.

2017-01-01

Development of streamwise counter-rotating vortices induced by leading edge patterns with different pattern shape is investigated using hot-wire anemometry in the boundary layer of a flat plate. A triangular, sinusoidal and notched patterns

Numerical Simulation and Experiment of a Lifting Body with Leading-Edge Rotating Cylinder

OpenAIRE

A. Badarudin; C. S. Oon; S. N. Kazi; N. Nik-Ghazali; Y. J. Lee; W. T. Chong

2013-01-01

An experimental and simulation flight test has been carried out to evaluate the longitudinal gliding characteristics of a lifting body with blunted half-cone geometry. The novelty here is the lifting body's pitch control mechanism, which consists of a pair of leading-edge rotating cylinders. Flight simulation uses aerodynamic data from computational fluid dynamics supported by wind-tunnel test. Flight test consists of releasing an aluminum lifting body model from a moving vehicle at the appro...

Avian Wings

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Tianshu; Kuykendoll, K.; Rhew, R.; Jones, S.

2004-01-01

This paper describes the avian wing geometry (Seagull, Merganser, Teal and Owl) extracted from non-contact surface measurements using a three-dimensional laser scanner. The geometric quantities, including the camber line and thickness distribution of airfoil, wing planform, chord distribution, and twist distribution, are given in convenient analytical expressions. Thus, the avian wing surfaces can be generated and the wing kinematics can be simulated. The aerodynamic characteristics of avian airfoils in steady inviscid flows are briefly discussed. The avian wing kinematics is recovered from videos of three level-flying birds (Crane, Seagull and Goose) based on a two-jointed arm model. A flapping seagull wing in the 3D physical space is re-constructed from the extracted wing geometry and kinematics.

Vortex-flow aerodynamics - An emerging design capability

Science.gov (United States)

Campbell, J. F.

1981-01-01

Promising current theoretical and simulational developments in the field of leading edge vortex-generating delta, arrow ogival wings are reported, along with the history of theory and experiment leading to them. The effects of wing slenderness, leading edge nose radius, Mach number and incidence variations, and planform on the onset of vortex generation and redistribution of aerodynamic loads are considered. The range of design possibilities in this field are consequential for the future development of strategic aircraft, supersonic transports and commercial cargo aircraft which will possess low-speed, high-lift capability by virtue of leading edge vortex generation and control without recourse to heavy and expensive leading edge high-lift devices and compound airfoils. Attention is given to interactive graphics simulation devices recently developed.

Analysis and optimization of a camber morphing wing model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bing Li

2016-09-01

Full Text Available This article proposes a camber morphing wing model that can continuously change its camber. A mathematical model is proposed and a kinematic simulation is performed to verify the wing’s ability to change camber. An aerodynamic model is used to test its aerodynamic characteristics. Some important aerodynamic analyses are performed. A comparative analysis is conducted to explore the relationships between aerodynamic parameters, the rotation angle of the trailing edge, and the angle of attack. An improved artificial fish swarm optimization algorithm is proposed, referred to as the weighted adaptive artificial fish-swarm with embedded Hooke–Jeeves search method. Some comparison tests are used to test the performance of the improved optimization algorithm. Finally, the proposed optimization algorithm is used to optimize the proposed camber morphing wing model.

Active control of noise amplification in the flow over a square leading-edge flat plate utilizing DBD plasma actuator

Science.gov (United States)

Yadong, HUANG; Benmou, ZHOU

2018-05-01

Perturbation is generally considered as the flow noise, and its energy can gain transient growth in the separation bubble. The amplified perturbations may cause unstable Kelvin–Helmohltz vortices which induce the three-dimensional transition. Active control of noise amplification via dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuator in the flow over a square leading-edge flat plate is numerically studied. The actuator is installed near the plate leading-edge where the separation bubble is formed. The maximum energy amplification of perturbations is positively correlated with the separation bubble scale which decreases with the increasing control parameters. As the magnitude of noise amplification is reduced, the laminar-turbulent transition is successfully suppressed.

Study on Trailing Edge Ramp of Supercritical Airfoil

Science.gov (United States)

2016-03-30

China Abstract Trailing edge flow control method could improve the performance of supercritical airfoil with a small modification on the original...stall behaviour . As a result, the non-separation ramp could increase the thickness of airfoil, which benefits wing structure and aerodynamic...direction based on the original RAE2822 airfoil, which will thicken the airfoil. The interpolation is implemented as shown in Eqn. 1. This modification could

Multiple cues for winged morph production in an aphid metacommunity.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohsen Mehrparvar

Full Text Available Environmental factors can lead individuals down different developmental pathways giving rise to distinct phenotypes (phenotypic plasticity. The production of winged or unwinged morphs in aphids is an example of two alternative developmental pathways. Dispersal is paramount in aphids that often have a metapopulation structure, where local subpopulations frequently go extinct, such as the specialized aphids on tansy (Tanacetum vulgare. We conducted various experiments to further understand the cues involved in the production of winged dispersal morphs by the two dominant species of the tansy aphid metacommunity, Metopeurum fuscoviride and Macrosiphoniella tanacetaria. We found that the ant-tended M. fuscoviride produced winged individuals predominantly at the beginning of the season while the untended M. tanacetaria produced winged individuals throughout the season. Winged mothers of both species produced winged offspring, although in both species winged offspring were mainly produced by unwinged females. Crowding and the presence of predators, effects already known to influence wing production in other aphid species, increased the percentage of winged offspring in M. tanacetaria, but not in M. fuscoviride. We find there are also other factors (i.e. temporal effects inducing the production of winged offspring for natural aphid populations. Our results show that the responses of each aphid species are due to multiple wing induction cues.

Event review: How Interesting Archaeology Is! - Captivating and Leading-Edge Student Research

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Atsushi Uemine

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Kyoto City Archaeological Museum situated in Kansai region, the central part of Honshu Island, Japan, has held special exhibitions in collaboration with external organizations every year since 2011. From 2011 to 2013, several universities and even a high school have participated projects, and in 2014, the Kansai Archaeological Association for Students (KAAS played an important role as partner, producing the exhibit “ここまでわかる！考古学―学生が魅せる最先端” (“How Interesting Archaeology Is! - Captivating and Leading-Edge Student Research”.

Effects of Alternate Leading Edge Cutback on the Space Shuttle Main Engine Low Pressure Fuel Pump

Science.gov (United States)

Mulder, Andrew; Skelley, Stephen

2016-01-01

A higher order cavitation oscillation observed in the SSME low pressure fuel pump has been eliminated in water flow testing of a modified subscale replica of the inducer. The low pressure pump was modified by removing the outboard sections of two opposing blades of the four-bladed inducer, blending the "cutback" regions into the blades at the leading edge and tip, and removing material on the suction sides to decrease the exposed leading edge thickness. The leading edge tips of the cutback blades were moved approximately 25 degrees from their previous locations, thereby increasing one blade to blade spacing, decreasing the second, while simultaneously moving the cutback tips downstream. The test was conducted in MSFC's inducer test loop at scaled operating conditions in degassed and filtered water. In addition to eliminating HOC across the entire scaled operating regime, rotating cavitation was suppressed while the range of both alternate blade and asymmetric cavitation were increased. These latter phenomena, and more significantly, the shifts between these cavitation modes also resulted in significant changes to the head coefficient at low cavitation numbers. Reverse flow was detected at a slightly larger flow coefficient with the cutback inducer and suction capability was reduced by approximately 1 velocity head at and above approximately 90% of the reference flow coefficient. These performance changes along with more intense reverse flow are consistent with poor flow area management and increased incidence in the cutback region. Although the test demonstrated that the inducer modification was successful at eliminating the higher order cavitation across the entire scaled operating regime, different, previously unobserved, cavitation oscillations were introduced and significant performance penalties were imposed.

Transonic steady- and unsteady-pressure measurements on a high-aspect-ratio supercritical-wing model with oscillating control surfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Sandford, M. C.; Ricketts, R. H.; Cazier, F. W., Jr.

1980-01-01

A supercritical wing with an aspect ratio of 10.76 and with two trailing-edge oscillating control surfaces is described. The semispan wing is instrumented with 252 static orifices and 164 in situ dynamic-pressure gages for studying the effects of control-surface position and motion on steady- and unsteady-pressures at transonic speeds. Results from initial tests conducted in the Langley Transonic Dynamics Tunnel at two Reynolds numbers are presented in tabular form.

Effects of wing locations on wing rock induced by forebody vortices

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ma Baofeng

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Previous studies have shown that asymmetric vortex wakes over slender bodies exhibit a multi-vortex structure with an alternate arrangement along a body axis at high angle of attack. In this investigation, the effects of wing locations along a body axis on wing rock induced by forebody vortices was studied experimentally at a subcritical Reynolds number based on a body diameter. An artificial perturbation was added onto the nose tip to fix the orientations of forebody vortices. Particle image velocimetry was used to identify flow patterns of forebody vortices in static situations, and time histories of wing rock were obtained using a free-to-roll rig. The results show that the wing locations can affect significantly the motion patterns of wing rock owing to the variation of multi-vortex patterns of forebody vortices. As the wing locations make the forebody vortices a two-vortex pattern, the wing body exhibits regularly divergence and fixed-point motion with azimuthal variations of the tip perturbation. If a three-vortex pattern exists over the wing, however, the wing-rock patterns depend on the impact of the highest vortex and newborn vortex. As the three vortices together influence the wing flow, wing-rock patterns exhibit regularly fixed-points and limit-cycled oscillations. With the wing moving backwards, the newborn vortex becomes stronger, and wing-rock patterns become fixed-points, chaotic oscillations, and limit-cycled oscillations. With further backward movement of wings, the vortices are far away from the upper surface of wings, and the motions exhibit divergence, limit-cycled oscillations and fixed-points. For the rearmost location of the wing, the wing body exhibits stochastic oscillations and fixed-points.

Aerodynamic Characteristic of the Active Compliant Trailing Edge Concept

Science.gov (United States)

Nie, Rui; Qiu, Jinhao; Ji, Hongli; Li, Dawei

2016-06-01

This paper introduces a novel Morphing Wing structure known as the Active Compliant Trailing Edge (ACTE). ACTE structures are designed using the concept of “distributed compliance” and wing skins of ACTE are fabricated from high-strength fiberglass composites laminates. Through the relative sliding between upper and lower wing skins which are connected by a linear guide pairs, the wing is able to achieve a large continuous deformation. In order to present an investigation about aerodynamics and noise characteristics of ACTE, a series of 2D airfoil analyses are established. The aerodynamic characteristics between ACTE and conventional deflection airfoil are analyzed and compared, and the impacts of different ACTE structure design parameters on aerodynamic characteristics are discussed. The airfoils mentioned above include two types (NACA0012 and NACA64A005.92). The computing results demonstrate that: compared with the conventional plane flap airfoil, the morphing wing using ACTE structures has the capability to improve aerodynamic characteristic and flow separation characteristic. In order to study the noise level of ACTE, flow field analysis using LES model is done to provide noise source data, and then the FW-H method is used to get the far field noise levels. The simulation results show that: compared with the conventional flap/aileron airfoil, the ACTE configuration is better to suppress the flow separation and lower the overall sound pressure level.

Effect of flow obstacles with various leading and trailing edges on critical heat flux

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pioro, I.L.; Groeneveld, D.C.; Groeneveld, D.C.; Cheng, S.C.; Antoshko, Y.V.

2001-01-01

A joint investigation has been performed by the University of Ottawa and Chalk River Laboratories that examined the effect of the shape of the leading and trailing edges of the turbulence enhancing devices ('flow obstacles') on critical heat flux (CHF). The objective of this study was to gain a better overall understanding of the limit of CHF improvement for various obstacle designs and the impact of flow conditions on the improvements. (author)

Design and simulative experiment of an innovative trailing edge morphing mechanism driven by artificial muscles embedded in skin

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Hongda; Liu, Long; Xiao, Tianhang; Ang, Haisong

2016-09-01

In this paper, conceptual design of a tailing edge morphing mechanism developed based on a new kind of artificial muscle embedded in skin, named Driving Skin, is proposed. To demonstrate the feasibility of this conceptual design, an experiment using ordinary fishing lines to simulate the function of artificial muscles was designed and carried out. Some measures were designed to ensure measurement accuracy. The experiment result shows that the contraction ratio and force required by the morphing mechanism can be satisfied by the new artificial muscles, and a relationship between contraction ratios and morphing angles can be found. To demonstrate the practical application feasibility of this conceptual design, a wing section using ordinary ropes to simulate the function of the Driving Skin mechanism was designed and fabricated. The demonstration wing section, extremely light in weight and capable of changing thickness, performs well, with a -30^\\circ /+30^\\circ morphing angle achieved. The trailing edge morphing mechanism is efficient in re-contouring the wing profile.

Effects of free-stream turbulence intensity and blowing ratio on film cooling of turbine blade leading edge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, S. M.; Kim, Youn J.; Cho, H. H.

2001-01-01

We used a cylindrical model which simulates turbine blade leading edge to investigate the effects of free-stream turbulence intensity and blowing ratio on film cooling of turbine blade leading edge. Tests are carried out in a low-speed wind tunnel on a cylindrical model with three rows of injection holes. Mainstream Reynolds number based on the cylinder diameter was 7.1x10 4 . Two types of turbulence grid are used to increase a free-stream turbulence intensity. The effect of coolant blowing ratio was studied for various blowing ratios. For each blowing ratios, wall temperatures around the surface of the test model are measured by thermocouples installed inside the model. Results show that blowing ratios have small effect on spanwise-averaged film effectiveness at high free-stream turbulence intensity. However, an increase in free-stream turbulence intensity enhances significantly spanwise-averaged film effectiveness at low blowing ratio

New approach to the suction force at the leading edge of a profile with zero thickness

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sparenberg, JA; de Jager, EM

2004-01-01

This paper considers the suction force at the leading edge of a profile with zero thickness in an incompressible and inviscid fluid flow. The theory is linear, and the approach to the suction force is from the innerside of the profile. It is shown that the suction force can be considered as an

A Lifting Surface Theory for Wings Experiencing Leading-Edge Separation

Science.gov (United States)

1977-06-30

CSR -CHCRÜ TO SPAN RATIO N-l N’SECIION NO. INDICAIOR FORM SCALES TO KURHALUt E0U»T|CNS Fl • 2.» ALEA /IP|»P| I fi ■ AIFA...Documentation Center Cameron Station, Bldg. 5 Alexandria, VA 22314 12 Nielsen Engineering & Research, Inc. 510 Clyde Avenue Mountain View, CA 94043 1 RASA

Butterfly wing colours : scale beads make white pierid wings brighter

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Stavenga, DG; Stowe, S; Siebke, K; Zeil, J; Arikawa, K

2004-01-01

The wing-scale morphologies of the pierid butterflies Pieris rapae (small white) and Delias nigrina (common jezabel), and the heliconine Heliconius melpomene are compared and related to the wing-reflectance spectra. Light scattering at the wing scales determines the wing reflectance, but when the

Discrete-Roughness-Element-Enhanced Swept-Wing Natural Laminar Flow at High Reynolds Numbers

Science.gov (United States)

Malik, Mujeeb; Liao, Wei; Li, Fei; Choudhari, Meelan

2015-01-01

Nonlinear parabolized stability equations and secondary-instability analyses are used to provide a computational assessment of the potential use of the discrete-roughness-element technology for extending swept-wing natural laminar flow at chord Reynolds numbers relevant to transport aircraft. Computations performed for the boundary layer on a natural-laminar-flow airfoil with a leading-edge sweep angle of 34.6 deg, freestream Mach number of 0.75, and chord Reynolds numbers of 17 × 10(exp 6), 24 × 10(exp 6), and 30 × 10(exp 6) suggest that discrete roughness elements could delay laminar-turbulent transition by about 20% when transition is caused by stationary crossflow disturbances. Computations show that the introduction of small-wavelength stationary crossflow disturbances (i.e., discrete roughness element) also suppresses the growth of most amplified traveling crossflow disturbances.

Preliminary wing model tests in the variable density wind tunnel of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics

Science.gov (United States)

Munk, Max M

1926-01-01

This report contains the results of a series of tests with three wing models. By changing the section of one of the models and painting the surface of another, the number of models tested was increased to five. The tests were made in order to obtain some general information on the air forces on wing sections at a high Reynolds number and in particular to make sure that the Reynolds number is really the important factor, and not other things like the roughness of the surface and the sharpness of the trailing edge. The few tests described in this report seem to indicate that the air forces at a high Reynolds number are not equivalent to respective air forces at a low Reynolds number (as in an ordinary atmospheric wind tunnel). The drag appears smaller at a high Reynolds number and the maximum lift is increased in some cases. The roughness of the surface and the sharpness of the trailing edge do not materially change the results, so that we feel confident that tests with systematic series of different wing sections will bring consistent results, important and highly useful to the designer.

Aerodynamic characteristics of a wing near its tip using panel method. Panel ho ni yoru tandokuyoku yokutan fukin no kuryoku tokusei

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Choi, J [Nagoya University, Nagoya (Japan); Sugiyama, Y [Nagoya University, Nagoya (Japan). Faculty of Engineering

1992-01-05

The study described in this paper is intended to evaluate the aerodynamic characteristics of a turbo machine wing or an aircraft wing near its tip, using the panel method. The paper describes the case of a rectangular wing with a large aspect ratio. The introduced linear simultaneous equation was solved using a computer, and compared with the experimental result. The result may be summarized as follows: The distribution of pressure on the wing near its tip using the panel method takes the same shape as that for the experimental result; the negative pressure calculated close to the wing's trailing edge near the wing tip is a result of a three-dimensional effect of the flow along the wing width; the calculation and the experiment showed an increase in local lift coefficient and locally induced resistance coefficient in the vicinity of wing tip; the speed component in the y'' direction explains the structure of the wing surface velocity forming wing backwash vortex given by the lift linearity theory; and the result of calculation on the pressure distribution in the wing chord direction near the wing tip is very close to the experimental result except for the wing flank in the close vicinity of the wing tip upstream of the wing chord middle point. 11 refs., 13 figs.

Numerical Prediction of the Impact of Non-Uniform Leading Edge Coatings On the Aerodynamic Performance of Compressor Airfoils

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Elmstrom, Michael

2004-01-01

A computational fluid dynamic (CFD) investigation is presented that provides predictions of the aerodynamic impact of uniform and non-uniform coatings applied to the leading edge of a compressor airfoil in a cascade. Using a NACA 65(12...

Suppression of chemotaxis by SSeCKS via scaffolding of phosphoinositol phosphates and the recruitment of the Cdc42 GEF, Frabin, to the leading edge.

Science.gov (United States)

Ko, Hyun-Kyung; Guo, Li-wu; Su, Bing; Gao, Lingqiu; Gelman, Irwin H

2014-01-01

Chemotaxis is controlled by interactions between receptors, Rho-family GTPases, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinases, and cytoskeleton remodeling proteins. We investigated how the metastasis suppressor, SSeCKS, attenuates chemotaxis. Chemotaxis activity inversely correlated with SSeCKS levels in mouse embryo fibroblasts (MEF), DU145 and MDA-MB-231 cancer cells. SSeCKS loss induced chemotactic velocity and linear directionality, correlating with replacement of leading edge lamellipodia with fascin-enriched filopodia-like extensions, the formation of thickened longitudinal F-actin stress fibers reaching to filopodial tips, relative enrichments at the leading edge of phosphatidylinositol (3,4,5)P3 (PIP3), Akt, PKC-ζ, Cdc42-GTP and active Src (SrcpoY416), and a loss of Rac1. Leading edge lamellipodia and chemotaxis inhibition in SSeCKS-null MEF could be restored by full-length SSeCKS or SSeCKS deleted of its Src-binding domain (ΔSrc), but not by SSeCKS deleted of its three MARCKS (myristylated alanine-rich C kinase substrate) polybasic domains (ΔPBD), which bind PIP2 and PIP3. The enrichment of activated Cdc42 in SSeCKS-null leading edge filopodia correlated with recruitment of the Cdc42-specific guanine nucleotide exchange factor, Frabin, likely recruited via multiple PIP2/3-binding domains. Frabin knockdown in SSeCKS-null MEF restores leading edge lamellipodia and chemotaxis inhibition. However, SSeCKS failed to co-immunoprecipitate with Rac1, Cdc42 or Frabin. Consistent with the notion that chemotaxis is controlled by SSeCKS-PIP (vs. -Src) scaffolding activity, constitutively-active phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase could override the ability of the Src inhibitor, SKI-606, to suppress chemotaxis and filopodial enrichment of Frabin in SSeCKS-null MEF. Our data suggest a role for SSeCKS in controlling Rac1 vs. Cdc42-induced cellular dynamics at the leading chemotactic edge through the scaffolding of phospholipids and signal mediators, and through the reorganization of the

Flap Side Edge Liners for Airframe Noise Reduction

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, Michael G. (Inventor); Khorrami, Mehdi R. (Inventor); Choudhari, Meelan M. (Inventor); Howerton, Brian M. (Inventor)

2014-01-01

One or more acoustic liners comprising internal chambers or passageways that absorb energy from a noise source on the aircraft are disclosed. The acoustic liners may be positioned at the ends of flaps of an aircraft wing to provide broadband noise absorption and/or dampen the noise producing unsteady flow features, and to reduce the amount of noise generated due to unsteady flow at the inboard and/or outboard end edges of a flap.

Thin tailored composite wing for civil tiltrotor

Science.gov (United States)

Rais-Rohani, Masoud

1994-01-01

The tiltrotor aircraft is a flight vehicle which combines the efficient low speed (i.e., take-off, landing, and hover) characteristics of a helicopter with the efficient cruise speed of a turboprop airplane. A well-known example of such vehicle is the Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey. The high cruise speed and range constraints placed on the civil tiltrotor require a relatively thin wing to increase the drag-divergence Mach number which translates into lower compressibility drag. It is required to reduce the wing maximum thickness-to-chord ratio t/c from 23% (i.e., V-22 wing) to 18%. While a reduction in wing thickness results in improved aerodynamic efficiency, it has an adverse effect on the wing structure and it tends to reduce structural stiffness. If ignored, the reduction in wing stiffness leads to susceptibility to aeroelastic and dynamic instabilities which may consequently cause a catastrophic failure. By taking advantage of the directional stiffness characteristics of composite materials the wing structure may be tailored to have the necessary stiffness, at a lower thickness, while keeping the weight low. The goal of this study is to design a wing structure for minimum weight subject to structural, dynamic and aeroelastic constraints. The structural constraints are in terms of strength and buckling allowables. The dynamic constraints are in terms of wing natural frequencies in vertical and horizontal bending and torsion. The aeroelastic constraints are in terms of frequency placement of the wing structure relative to those of the rotor system. The wing-rotor-pylon aeroelastic and dynamic interactions are limited in this design study by holding the cruise speed, rotor-pylon system, and wing geometric attributes fixed. To assure that the wing-rotor stability margins are maintained a more rigorous analysis based on a detailed model of the rotor system will need to ensue following the design study. The skin-stringer-rib type architecture is used for the wing

Aeroelastic Control of a Segmented Trailing Edge Using Fiber Optic Strain Sensing Technology

Science.gov (United States)

Graham, Corbin Jay; Martins, Benjamin; Suppanade, Nathan

2014-01-01

Currently, design of aircraft structures incorporate a safety factor which is essentially an over design to mitigate the risk of structure failure during operation. Typically this safety factor is to design the structure to withstand loads much greater than what is expected to be experienced during flight. NASA Dryden Flight Research Centers has developed a Fiber Optic Strain Sensing (FOSS) system which can measure strain values in real-time. The Aeroelastics Lab at the AERO Institute is developing a segmented trailing edged wing with multiple control surfaces that can utilize the data from the FOSS system, in conjunction with an adaptive controller to redistribute the lift across a wing. This redistribution can decrease the amount of strain experienced by the wing as well as be used to dampen vibration and reduce flutter.

Evaluation of Load Analysis Methods for NASAs GIII Adaptive Compliant Trailing Edge Project

Science.gov (United States)

Cruz, Josue; Miller, Eric J.

2016-01-01

The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center (AFRC), and FlexSys Inc. (Ann Arbor, Michigan) have collaborated to flight test the Adaptive Compliant Trailing Edge (ACTE) flaps. These flaps were installed on a Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation (GAC) GIII aircraft and tested at AFRC at various deflection angles over a range of flight conditions. External aerodynamic and inertial load analyses were conducted with the intention to ensure that the change in wing loads due to the deployed ACTE flap did not overload the existing baseline GIII wing box structure. The objective of this paper was to substantiate the analysis tools used for predicting wing loads at AFRC. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models and distributed mass inertial models were developed for predicting the loads on the wing. The analysis tools included TRANAIR (full potential) and CMARC (panel) models. Aerodynamic pressure data from the analysis codes were validated against static pressure port data collected in-flight. Combined results from the CFD predictions and the inertial load analysis were used to predict the normal force, bending moment, and torque loads on the wing. Wing loads obtained from calibrated strain gages installed on the wing were used for substantiation of the load prediction tools. The load predictions exhibited good agreement compared to the flight load results obtained from calibrated strain gage measurements.

Control of wing-tip vortex using winglets at low Reynolds number

Science.gov (United States)

Cho, Seunghyun; Choi, Haecheon

2014-11-01

Winglets are considered as one of the effective devices for reducing induced drag, and thus many studies have been conducted, but mainly at high Reynolds numbers (Re ~106 ~107) for commercial airplanes. However, small-size unmanned air vehicles (UAV), operating at low Reynolds numbers (Re PIV measurements are conducted at several cross-flow planes for a few different angles of attack (α) . At high angles of attack (7° ~13°) , the winglets with the cant angle of 70° increase the aerodynamic performance, whereas at low angles of attack (2° ~6°) , the wing-tip extension (cant angle of 0°) shows better performances. The velocity fields measured from PIV indicate that, with the winglet, the wing-tip vortex moves away from the wing surface at α =12° , and the downwash motion in the wake behind the trailing edge is decreased, reducing the magnitude of the induced drag. A concept of changing the cant angle during flight is also suggested at this talk. Supported by 2011-0028032.

Aerodynamic Characterization of a Thin, High-Performance Airfoil for Use in Ground Fluids Testing

Science.gov (United States)

Broeren, Andy P.; Lee, Sam; Clark, Catherine

2013-01-01

The FAA has worked with Transport Canada and others to develop allowance times for aircraft operating in ice-pellet precipitation. Wind-tunnel testing has been carried out to better understand the flowoff characteristics and resulting aerodynamic effects of anti-icing fluids contaminated with ice pellets using a thin, high-performance wing section at the National Research Council of Canada Propulsion and Icing Wind Tunnel. The objective of this paper is to characterize the aerodynamic behavior of this wing section in order to better understand the adverse aerodynamic effects of anti-icing fluids and ice-pellet contamination. Aerodynamic performance data, boundary-layer surveys and flow visualization were conducted at a Reynolds number of approximately 6.0×10(exp 6) and a Mach number of 0.12. The clean, baseline model exhibited leading-edge stall characteristics including a leading-edge laminar separation bubble and minimal or no separation on the trailing edge of the main element or flap. These results were consistent with expected 2-D aerodynamics and showed no anomalies that could adversely affect the evaluation of anti-icing fluids and ice-pellet contamination on the wing. Tests conducted with roughness and leading-edge flow disturbances helped to explain the aerodynamic impact of the anti-icing fluids and contamination. The stalling characteristics of the wing section with fluid and contamination appear to be driven at least partially by the effects of a secondary wave of fluid that forms near the leading edge as the wing is rotated in the simulated takeoff profile. These results have provided a much more complete understanding of the adverse aerodynamic effects of anti-icing fluids and ice-pellet contamination on this wing section. This is important since these results are used, in part, to develop the ice-pellet allowance times that are applicable to many different airplanes.

Conjugate calculation of a film-cooled blade for improvement of the leading edge cooling configuration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Norbert Moritz

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Great efforts are still put into the design process of advanced film-cooling configurations. In particular, the vanes and blades of turbine front stages have to be cooled extensively for a safe operation. The conjugate calculation technique is used for the three-dimensional thermal load prediction of a film-cooled test blade of a modern gas turbine. Thus, it becomes possible to take into account the interaction of internal flows, external flow, and heat transfer without the prescription of heat transfer coefficients. The focus of the investigation is laid on the leading edge part of the blade. The numerical model consists of all internal flow passages and cooling hole rows at the leading edge. Furthermore, the radial gap flow is also part of the model. The comparison with thermal pyrometer measurements shows that with respect to regions with high thermal load a qualitatively and quantitatively good agreement of the conjugate results and the measurements can be found. In particular, the region in the vicinity of the mid-span section is exposed to a higher thermal load, which requires further improvement of the cooling arrangement. Altogether the achieved results demonstrate that the conjugate calculation technique is applicable for reasonable prediction of three-dimensional thermal load of complex cooling configurations for blades.

Control-surface hinge-moment calculations for a high-aspect-ratio supercritical wing

Science.gov (United States)

Perry, B., III

1978-01-01

The hinge moments, at selected flight conditions, resulting from deflecting two trailing edge control surfaces (one inboard and one midspan) on a high aspect ratio, swept, fuel conservative wing with a supercritical airfoil are estimated. Hinge moment results obtained from procedures which employ a recently developed transonic analysis are given. In this procedure a three dimensional inviscid transonic aerodynamics computer program is combined with a two dimensional turbulent boundary layer program in order to obtain an interacted solution. These results indicate that trends of the estimated hinge moment as a function of deflection angle are similar to those from experimental hinge moment measurements made on wind tunnel models with swept supercritical wings tested at similar values of free stream Mach number and angle of attack.

The multidisciplinary design optimization of a distributed propulsion blended-wing-body aircraft

Science.gov (United States)

Ko, Yan-Yee Andy

The purpose of this study is to examine the multidisciplinary design optimization (MDO) of a distributed propulsion blended-wing-body (BWB) aircraft. The BWB is a hybrid shape resembling a flying wing, placing the payload in the inboard sections of the wing. The distributed propulsion concept involves replacing a small number of large engines with many smaller engines. The distributed propulsion concept considered here ducts part of the engine exhaust to exit out along the trailing edge of the wing. The distributed propulsion concept affects almost every aspect of the BWB design. Methods to model these effects and integrate them into an MDO framework were developed. The most important effect modeled is the impact on the propulsive efficiency. There has been conjecture that there will be an increase in propulsive efficiency when there is blowing out of the trailing edge of a wing. A mathematical formulation was derived to explain this. The formulation showed that the jet 'fills in' the wake behind the body, improving the overall aerodynamic/propulsion system, resulting in an increased propulsive efficiency. The distributed propulsion concept also replaces the conventional elevons with a vectored thrust system for longitudinal control. An extension of Spence's Jet Flap theory was developed to estimate the effects of this vectored thrust system on the aircraft longitudinal control. It was found to provide a reasonable estimate of the control capability of the aircraft. An MDO framework was developed, integrating all the distributed propulsion effects modeled. Using a gradient based optimization algorithm, the distributed propulsion BWB aircraft was optimized and compared with a similarly optimized conventional BWB design. Both designs are for an 800 passenger, 0.85 cruise Mach number and 7000 nmi mission. The MDO results found that the distributed propulsion BWB aircraft has a 4% takeoff gross weight and a 2% fuel weight. Both designs have similar planform shapes

Aerodynamic characteristics of a large-scale semispan model with a swept wing and an augmented jet flap with hypermixing nozzles. [Ames 40- by 80-Foot Wind Tunnel and Static Test Facility

Science.gov (United States)

Aiken, T. N.; Falarski, M. D.; Koenin, D. G.

1979-01-01

The aerodynamic characteristics of the augmentor wing concept with hypermixing primary nozzles were investigated. A large-scale semispan model in the Ames 40- by 80-Foot Wind Tunnel and Static Test Facility was used. The trailing edge, augmentor flap system occupied 65% of the span and consisted of two fixed pivot flaps. The nozzle system consisted of hypermixing, lobe primary nozzles, and BLC slot nozzles at the forward inlet, both sides and ends of the throat, and at the aft flap. The entire wing leading edge was fitted with a 10% chord slat and a blowing slot. Outboard of the flap was a blown aileron. The model was tested statically and at forward speed. Primary parameters and their ranges included angle of attack from -12 to 32 degrees, flap angles of 20, 30, 45, 60 and 70 degrees, and deflection and diffuser area ratios from 1.16 to 2.22. Thrust coefficients ranged from 0 to 2.73, while nozzle pressure ratios varied from 1.0 to 2.34. Reynolds number per foot varied from 0 to 1.4 million. Analysis of the data indicated a maximum static, gross augmentation of 1.53 at a flap angle of 45 degrees. Analysis also indicated that the configuration was an efficient powered lift device and that the net thrust was comparable with augmentor wings of similar static performance. Performance at forward speed was best at a diffuser area ratio of 1.37.

Twin lead ballistic conductor based on nanoribbon edge transport

Science.gov (United States)

Konôpka, Martin; Dieška, Peter

2018-03-01

If a device like a graphene nanoribbon (GNR) has all its four corners attached to electric current leads, the device becomes a quantum junction through which two electrical circuits can interact. We study such system theoretically for stationary currents. The 4-point energy-dependent conductance matrix of the nanostructure and the classical resistors in the circuits are parameters of the model. The two bias voltages in the circuits are the control variables of the studied system while the electrochemical potentials at the device's terminals are non-trivially dependent on the voltages. For the special case of the linear-response regime analytical formulae for the operation of the coupled quantum-classical device are derived and applied. For higher bias voltages numerical solutions are obtained. The effects of non-equilibrium Fermi levels are captured using a recursive algorithm in which self-consistency between the electrochemical potentials and the currents is reached within few iterations. The developed approach allows to study scenarios ranging from independent circuits to strongly coupled ones. For the chosen model of the GNR with highly conductive zigzag edges we determine the regime in which the single device carries two almost independent currents.

Origin of long lifetime of band-edge charge carriers in organic-inorganic lead iodide perovskites.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Tianran; Chen, Wei-Liang; Foley, Benjamin J; Lee, Jooseop; Ruff, Jacob P C; Ko, J Y Peter; Brown, Craig M; Harriger, Leland W; Zhang, Depei; Park, Changwon; Yoon, Mina; Chang, Yu-Ming; Choi, Joshua J; Lee, Seung-Hun

2017-07-18

Long carrier lifetime is what makes hybrid organic-inorganic perovskites high-performance photovoltaic materials. Several microscopic mechanisms behind the unusually long carrier lifetime have been proposed, such as formation of large polarons, Rashba effect, ferroelectric domains, and photon recycling. Here, we show that the screening of band-edge charge carriers by rotation of organic cation molecules can be a major contribution to the prolonged carrier lifetime. Our results reveal that the band-edge carrier lifetime increases when the system enters from a phase with lower rotational entropy to another phase with higher entropy. These results imply that the recombination of the photoexcited electrons and holes is suppressed by the screening, leading to the formation of polarons and thereby extending the lifetime. Thus, searching for organic-inorganic perovskites with high rotational entropy over a wide range of temperature may be a key to achieve superior solar cell performance.

Aerodynamic evaluation of wing shape and wing orientation in four butterfly species using numerical simulations and a low-speed wind tunnel, and its implications for the design of flying micro-robots.

Science.gov (United States)

Ortega Ancel, Alejandro; Eastwood, Rodney; Vogt, Daniel; Ithier, Carter; Smith, Michael; Wood, Rob; Kovač, Mirko

2017-02-06

Many insects are well adapted to long-distance migration despite the larger energetic costs of flight for small body sizes. To optimize wing design for next-generation flying micro-robots, we analyse butterfly wing shapes and wing orientations at full scale using numerical simulations and in a low-speed wind tunnel at 2, 3.5 and 5 m s -1 . The results indicate that wing orientations which maximize wing span lead to the highest glide performance, with lift to drag ratios up to 6.28, while spreading the fore-wings forward can increase the maximum lift produced and thus improve versatility. We discuss the implications for flying micro-robots and how the results assist in understanding the behaviour of the butterfly species tested.

Aerodynamic evaluation of wing shape and wing orientation in four butterfly species using numerical simulations and a low-speed wind tunnel, and its implications for the design of flying micro-robots

Science.gov (United States)

Eastwood, Rodney; Vogt, Daniel; Ithier, Carter; Smith, Michael; Wood, Rob; Kovač, Mirko

2017-01-01

Many insects are well adapted to long-distance migration despite the larger energetic costs of flight for small body sizes. To optimize wing design for next-generation flying micro-robots, we analyse butterfly wing shapes and wing orientations at full scale using numerical simulations and in a low-speed wind tunnel at 2, 3.5 and 5 m s−1. The results indicate that wing orientations which maximize wing span lead to the highest glide performance, with lift to drag ratios up to 6.28, while spreading the fore-wings forward can increase the maximum lift produced and thus improve versatility. We discuss the implications for flying micro-robots and how the results assist in understanding the behaviour of the butterfly species tested. PMID:28163879

Structural dynamics and aerodynamics measurements of biologically inspired flexible flapping wings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu, P; Stanford, B K; Ifju, P G; Saellstroem, E; Ukeiley, L

2011-01-01

Flapping wing flight as seen in hummingbirds and insects poses an interesting unsteady aerodynamic problem: coupling of wing kinematics, structural dynamics and aerodynamics. There have been numerous studies on the kinematics and aerodynamics in both experimental and computational cases with both natural and artificial wings. These studies tend to ignore wing flexibility; however, observation in nature affirms that passive wing deformation is predominant and may be crucial to the aerodynamic performance. This paper presents a multidisciplinary experimental endeavor in correlating a flapping micro air vehicle wing's aeroelasticity and thrust production, by quantifying and comparing overall thrust, structural deformation and airflow of six pairs of hummingbird-shaped membrane wings of different properties. The results show that for a specific spatial distribution of flexibility, there is an effective frequency range in thrust production. The wing deformation at the thrust-productive frequencies indicates the importance of flexibility: both bending and twisting motion can interact with aerodynamic loads to enhance wing performance under certain conditions, such as the deformation phase and amplitude. By measuring structural deformations under the same aerodynamic conditions, beneficial effects of passive wing deformation can be observed from the visualized airflow and averaged thrust. The measurements and their presentation enable observation and understanding of the required structural properties for a thrust effective flapping wing. The intended passive responses of the different wings follow a particular pattern in correlation to their aerodynamic performance. Consequently, both the experimental technique and data analysis method can lead to further studies to determine the design principles for micro air vehicle flapping wings.

Structural dynamics and aerodynamics measurements of biologically inspired flexible flapping wings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wu, P; Stanford, B K; Ifju, P G [Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, MAE-A 231, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611 (United States); Saellstroem, E; Ukeiley, L, E-mail: diccidwp@ufl.edu [Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Florida, Shalimar, FL 32579 (United States)

2011-03-15

Flapping wing flight as seen in hummingbirds and insects poses an interesting unsteady aerodynamic problem: coupling of wing kinematics, structural dynamics and aerodynamics. There have been numerous studies on the kinematics and aerodynamics in both experimental and computational cases with both natural and artificial wings. These studies tend to ignore wing flexibility; however, observation in nature affirms that passive wing deformation is predominant and may be crucial to the aerodynamic performance. This paper presents a multidisciplinary experimental endeavor in correlating a flapping micro air vehicle wing's aeroelasticity and thrust production, by quantifying and comparing overall thrust, structural deformation and airflow of six pairs of hummingbird-shaped membrane wings of different properties. The results show that for a specific spatial distribution of flexibility, there is an effective frequency range in thrust production. The wing deformation at the thrust-productive frequencies indicates the importance of flexibility: both bending and twisting motion can interact with aerodynamic loads to enhance wing performance under certain conditions, such as the deformation phase and amplitude. By measuring structural deformations under the same aerodynamic conditions, beneficial effects of passive wing deformation can be observed from the visualized airflow and averaged thrust. The measurements and their presentation enable observation and understanding of the required structural properties for a thrust effective flapping wing. The intended passive responses of the different wings follow a particular pattern in correlation to their aerodynamic performance. Consequently, both the experimental technique and data analysis method can lead to further studies to determine the design principles for micro air vehicle flapping wings.

Extension of analytical indicial aerodynamics to generic trapezoidal wings in subsonic flow

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrea DA RONCH

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Analytical indicial aerodynamic functions are calculated for several trapezoidal wings in subsonic flow, with a Mach number 0.3 ≤ Ma ≤ 0.7. The formulation herein proposed extends well-known aerodynamic theories, which are limited to thin aerofoils in incompressible flow, to generic trapezoidal wing planforms. Firstly, a thorough study is executed to assess the accuracy and limitation of analytical predictions, using unsteady results from two state-of-the-art computational fluid dynamics solvers as cross-validated benchmarks. Indicial functions are calculated for a step change in the angle of attack and for a sharp-edge gust, each for four wing configurations and three Mach numbers. Then, analytical and computational indicial responses are used to predict dynamic derivatives and the maximum lift coefficient following an encounter with a one-minus-cosine gust. It is found that the analytical results are in excellent agreement with the computational results for all test cases. In particular, the deviation of the analytical results from the computational results is within the scatter or uncertainty in the data arising from using two computational fluid dynamics solvers. This indicates the usefulness of the developed analytical theories. Keywords: Analytical approach, CFD, Compressible flow, Gust response, Indicial aerodynamics, Trapezoidal wing

Assessment of engine noise shielding by the wings of current turbofan aircraft

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Alves Vieira, A.E.; Snellen, M.; Simons, D.G.; Gibbs, B.

2017-01-01

The shielding of engine noise by the aircraft wings and fuselage can lead to a significant reduction on perceived noise on ground. Most research on noise shielding is focused on BlendedWing Body (BWB) configurations because of the large dimension of the fuselage. However, noise shielding is also

A Mathematical Model to Capture Complex Microstructure Orientation on Insect Wings.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Delyle T Polet

Full Text Available Microstructures on insect wings can promote directional drop shedding, and the local orientation of these structures is expected to facilitate drop removal. However, microstructures may exhibit very different orientations at different locations on the wing. Using the march fly Penthetria heteroptera, we propose that local orientation of small hairs (microtrichia reflects a balance of three nonexclusive strategies: (1 preventing water from becoming stuck in intervenous grooves (microtrichia point upslope, (2 shedding water off the wing as readily as possible (microtrichia point towards the nearest edge, and, (3 shedding water away from the body (microtrichia point distally. We present evidence for all three and show that local microtrichial orientation is seldom determined by any one factor. We develop a mathematical model that employs factor-specific weighting values determined via optimization. Our predictions are tested against the orientation of microtrichia randomly sampled from a P. heteroptera specimen. Using the best-fit weighting parameters, the model displays a median residual of 20°; no residual is greater than 46°. The model also reproduces qualitative aspects of microtrichial orientation, such as bifurcation midway between veins and convergence toward peaks. This strong correspondence between modelled and observed orientation supports the role of microtrichia as directional antiwetting devices and highlights the importance of considering both function and wing geometry to explain the organization of natural microstructure arrays.

The Keenan and Wing bands in S stars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lambert, D.L.; Clegg, R.E.S.

1980-01-01

New observations of the near infrared spectra of S stars are presented as part of a survey of the unidentified Keenan and Wing bands. Bandhead wavelengths accurate to 0.5 A are presented. A new band is found at 9014 A. The bands are not present in normal M giants and dwarfs. Laboratory spectroscopy of heavy element oxides is reported. Several new identifications are proposed. The 10 300 A Wing band is identified with the Δv = - 1 sequence of the ZrO 9300 A Δv = 0 bands. The ZrO B 1 PI-A 1 Δ (Δv = 0) system may be responsible for either the 9736 A or the 10 515 A Wing bands. Two new bands in the near infrared at 8219 and 8235 A are provided by CeO. A new band with heads at 7503 and 7509 A in a spectrum of R And is tentatively attributed to YS. A band at 8268 A in M stars is the TiO delta(2-1) head. The 8610 A Keenan band is not due to CrH. Potential carriers of the Keenan and Wing bands are reviewed. It is suggested that the heavy element sulphides and, perhaps, chlorides are leading candidates. Identification of YS in R And may provide the first evidence for these sulphides. ZrS is a leading candidate for which laboratory spectroscopy is needed. (author)

Biosynthesis of cathodoluminescent zinc oxide replicas using butterfly (Papilio paris) wing scales as templates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Wang; Zhang Di; Fan Tongxiang; Ding Jian; Gu Jiajun; Guo Qixin; Ogawa, Hiroshi

2009-01-01

Papilio paris butterflies have an iridescent blue color patch on their hind wings which is visible over a wide viewing angle. Optical and scanning electron microscopy observations of scales from the wings show that the blue color scales have very different microstructure to the matt black ones which also populate the wings. Scanning electron micrographs of the blue scales show that their surfaces comprise a regular two-dimensional array of concavities. By contrast the matt black scales have fine, sponge-like structure, between the ridges and the cross ribs in the scales. Using both types of scale as bio-templates, we obtain zinc oxide (ZnO) replicas of the microstructures of the original scales. Room temperature (T = 300 K) cathodoluminescence spectra of these ZnO replicas have also been studied. Both spectra show a similar sharp near-band-edge emission, but have different green emission, which we associate with the different microstructures of the ZnO replicas

Biosynthesis of cathodoluminescent zinc oxide replicas using butterfly (Papilio paris) wing scales as templates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang Wang [State Key Lab of Metal Matrix Composites, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 200240, Shanghai (China); Zhang Di [State Key Lab of Metal Matrix Composites, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 200240, Shanghai (China)], E-mail: zhangdi@sjtu.edu.cn; Fan Tongxiang; Ding Jian; Gu Jiajun [State Key Lab of Metal Matrix Composites, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 200240, Shanghai (China); Guo Qixin; Ogawa, Hiroshi [Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Saga University, Saga 840-8502 (Japan)

2009-01-01

Papilio paris butterflies have an iridescent blue color patch on their hind wings which is visible over a wide viewing angle. Optical and scanning electron microscopy observations of scales from the wings show that the blue color scales have very different microstructure to the matt black ones which also populate the wings. Scanning electron micrographs of the blue scales show that their surfaces comprise a regular two-dimensional array of concavities. By contrast the matt black scales have fine, sponge-like structure, between the ridges and the cross ribs in the scales. Using both types of scale as bio-templates, we obtain zinc oxide (ZnO) replicas of the microstructures of the original scales. Room temperature (T = 300 K) cathodoluminescence spectra of these ZnO replicas have also been studied. Both spectra show a similar sharp near-band-edge emission, but have different green emission, which we associate with the different microstructures of the ZnO replicas.

"Partners in Science": A Model Cooperative Program Introducing High School Teachers and Students to Leading-Edge Pharmaceutical Science

Science.gov (United States)

Woska, Joseph R., Jr.; Collins, Danielle M.; Canney, Brian J.; Arcario, Erin L.; Reilly, Patricia L.

2005-01-01

"Partners in Science" is a cooperative program between Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and area high schools in the community surrounding our Connecticut campus. It is a two-phase program that introduces high school students and teachers to the world of drug discovery and leading-edge pharmaceutical research. Phase 1 involves…

Power deposition on misaligned edges in COMPASS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. Dejarnac

2017-08-01

Full Text Available If the decision is made not to apply a toroidal chamfer to tungsten monoblocks at ITER divertor vertical targets, exposed leading edges will arise as a result of assembly tolerances between adjacent plasma-facing components. Then, the advantage of glancing magnetic field angles for spreading plasma heat flux on top surfaces is lost at the misaligned edges with an interaction occurring at near normal incidence, which can drive melting for the expected inter-ELM heat fluxes. A dedicated experiment has been performed on the COMPASS tokamak to thoroughly study power deposition on misaligned edges using inner-wall limited discharges on a special graphite tile presenting gaps and leading edges directly viewed by a high resolution infra-red camera. The parallel power flux deducted from the unperturbed measurement far from the gap is fully consistent with the observed temperature increase at the leading edge, respecting the power balance. All the power flowing into the gap is deposited at the leading edge and no mitigation factor is required to explain the thermal response. Particle-in-cell simulations show that the ion Larmor smoothing effect is weak and that the power deposition on misaligned edges is well described by the optical approximation because of an electron dominated regime associated with non-ambipolar parallel current flow.

Experimental investigation of lift enhancement for flying wing aircraft using nanosecond DBD plasma actuators

Science.gov (United States)

Yao, Junkai; Zhou, Danjie; He, Haibo; He, Chengjun; Shi, Zhiwei; Du, Hai

2017-04-01

The effects of the arrangement position and control parameters of nanosecond dielectric barrier discharge (NS-DBD) plasma actuators on lift enhancement for flying wing aircraft were investigated through wind tunnel experiments at a flow speed of 25 m s-1. The aerodynamic forces and moments were obtained by a six-component balance at angles of attack ranging from -4° to 28°. The lift, drag and pitching moment coefficients were compared for the cases with and without plasma control. The results revealed that the maximum control effect was achieved by placing the actuator at the leading edge of the inner and middle wing, for which the maximum lift coefficient increased by 37.8% and the stall angle of attack was postponed by 8° compared with the plasma-off case. The effects of modulation frequency and discharge voltage were also investigated. The results revealed that the lift enhancement effect of the NS-DBD plasma actuators was strongly influenced by the modulation frequency. Significant control effects were obtained at f = 70 Hz, corresponding to F + ≈ 1. The result for the pitching moment coefficient demonstrated that the plasma actuator can induce the reattachment of the separation flows when it is actuated. However, the results indicated that the discharge voltage had a negligible influence on the lift enhancement effect.

Numerical simulation of flow characteristics behind the aerodynamic performances on an airfoil with leading edge protuberances

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ming Zhao

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This article presents a numerical investigation of the effects of leading-edge protuberances on airfoil stall and post-stall performance. An improved delayed detached eddy simulation (IDDES method was adopted. As a result, to clarify the effects of ‘bi-periodic’ phenomenon around stall region, it was found that the flow separation at troughs was the main inducement of aerodynamic lift degradation within pre-stall regime and the flow pattern where vortices diverged was predominant. It was also found that the variations in flow patterns led to the gentle stall process. Furthermore, to study the statistical characteristics of unsteady vortex shedding, corresponding spectrum characteristics were also analyzed from another perspective, suggesting that the vortex shedding frequency was higher where vortices converged. Eventually, the improved performances of tubercled airfoil within post-stall regime could be attributed to the strong streamwise vortices generated by the leading-edge protuberances. Deploying the methods of vortex dynamics, the generation and evolution of the streamwise vortices were depicted. It turned out that the primary and secondary vortices were induced by spanwise pressure gradient at airfoil surface; meanwhile, vortex stretching played a key role in primary vortex evolution, which initially enhanced the strength of vortices corresponding to the acceleration of streamwise velocity.

Edge instabilities of topological superconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hofmann, Johannes S. [Institut fuer Theoretische Physik und Astrophysik, Universitaet Wuerzburg (Germany); Max-Planck-Institut fuer Festkoerperforschung, Stuttgart (Germany); Assaad, Fakher F. [Institut fuer Theoretische Physik und Astrophysik, Universitaet Wuerzburg (Germany); Schnyder, Andreas P. [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Festkoerperforschung, Stuttgart (Germany)

2016-07-01

Nodal topological superconductors display zero-energy Majorana flat bands at generic edges. The flatness of these edge bands, which is protected by time-reversal and translation symmetry, gives rise to an extensive ground state degeneracy and a diverging density of states. Therefore, even arbitrarily weak interactions lead to an instability of the flat-band edge states towards time-reversal and translation-symmetry broken phases, which lift the ground-state degeneracy. Here, we employ Monte Carlo simulations combined with mean-field considerations to examine the instabilities of the flat-band edge states of d{sub xy}-wave superconductors. We find that attractive interactions induce a complex s-wave pairing instability together with a density wave instability. Repulsive interactions, on the other hand, lead to ferromagnetism mixed with spin-triplet pairing at the edge. We discuss the implications of our findings for experiments on cuprate high-temperature superconductors.

Deformed wing virus can be transmitted during natural mating in honey bees and infect the queens

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Amiri, Esmaeil; Meixner, Marina D.; Kryger, Per

2016-01-01

prevalence of deformed wing virus, queens (n = 30) were trapped upon their return from natural mating flights. The last drone’s endophallus (n = 29), if present, was removed from the mated queens for deformed wing virus quantification, leading to the detection of high-level infection in 3 endophalli. After...... oviposition, viral quantification revealed that seven of the 30 queens had high-level deformed wing virus infections, in all tissues, including the semen stored in the spermathecae. Two groups of either unmated queens (n = 8) with induced egg laying, or queens (n = 12) mated in isolation with drones showing...... comparatively low deformed wing virus infections served as control. None of the control queens exhibited high-level viral infections. Our results demonstrate that deformed wing virus infected drones are competitive to mate and able to transmit the virus along with semen, which occasionally leads to queen...

Approach for Structurally Clearing an Adaptive Compliant Trailing Edge Flap for Flight

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Eric J.; Lokos, William A.; Cruz, Josue; Crampton, Glen; Stephens, Craig A.; Kota, Sridhar; Ervin, Gregory; Flick, Pete

2015-01-01

The Adaptive Compliant Trailing Edge (ACTE) flap was flown on the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Gulfstream GIII testbed at the NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center. This smoothly curving flap replaced the existing Fowler flaps creating a seamless control surface. This compliant structure, developed by FlexSys Inc. in partnership with the Air Force Research Laboratory, supported NASA objectives for airframe structural noise reduction, aerodynamic efficiency, and wing weight reduction through gust load alleviation. A thorough structures airworthiness approach was developed to move this project safely to flight. A combination of industry and NASA standard practice require various structural analyses, ground testing, and health monitoring techniques for showing an airworthy structure. This paper provides an overview of compliant structures design, the structural ground testing leading up to flight, and the flight envelope expansion and monitoring strategy. Flight data will be presented, and lessons learned along the way will be highlighted.

Novel four-wing and eight-wing attractors using coupled chaotic Lorenz systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grassi, Giuseppe

2008-01-01

This paper presents the problem of generating four-wing (eight-wing) chaotic attractors. The adopted method consists in suitably coupling two (three) identical Lorenz systems. In analogy with the original Lorenz system, where the two wings of the butterfly attractor are located around the two equilibria with the unstable pair of complex-conjugate eigenvalues, this paper shows that the four wings (eight wings) of these novel attractors are located around the four (eight) equilibria with two (three) pairs of unstable complex-conjugate eigenvalues. (general)

Scaling law and enhancement of lift generation of an insect-size hovering flexible wing

Science.gov (United States)

Kang, Chang-kwon; Shyy, Wei

2013-01-01

We report a comprehensive scaling law and novel lift generation mechanisms relevant to the aerodynamic functions of structural flexibility in insect flight. Using a Navier–Stokes equation solver, fully coupled to a structural dynamics solver, we consider the hovering motion of a wing of insect size, in which the dynamics of fluid–structure interaction leads to passive wing rotation. Lift generated on the flexible wing scales with the relative shape deformation parameter, whereas the optimal lift is obtained when the wing deformation synchronizes with the imposed translation, consistent with previously reported observations for fruit flies and honeybees. Systematic comparisons with rigid wings illustrate that the nonlinear response in wing motion results in a greater peak angle compared with a simple harmonic motion, yielding higher lift. Moreover, the compliant wing streamlines its shape via camber deformation to mitigate the nonlinear lift-degrading wing–wake interaction to further enhance lift. These bioinspired aeroelastic mechanisms can be used in the development of flapping wing micro-robots. PMID:23760300

Reproductive success and habitat characteristics of Golden-winged Warblers in high-elevation pasturelands

Science.gov (United States)

Wood, Petra; Aldinger, Kyle R.

2016-01-01

The Golden-winged Warbler (Vermivora chrysoptera) is one of the most rapidly declining vertebrate species in the Appalachian Mountains. It is the subject of extensive range-wide research and conservation action. However, little is known about this species' breeding ecology in high-elevation pasturelands, a breeding habitat with conservation potential considering the U.S. Natural Resource Conservation Service's Working Lands for Wildlife program targeting private lands in the Appalachian Mountains. We located 100 nests of Golden-winged Warblers in pastures in and around the Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia during 2008–2012. Daily nest survival rate (mean ± SE  =  0.962 ± 0.006), clutch size (4.5 ± 0.1), and number of young fledged per nest attempt (2.0 ± 0.2) and successful nest (4.0 ± 0.1) fell within the range of values reported in other parts of the species' range and were not significantly affected by year or the presence/absence of cattle grazing. Classification tree analysis revealed that nests were in denser vegetation (≥52%) and closer to forest edges (Golden-winged Warblers. High-elevation pasturelands may provide a refuge for remaining populations of Golden-winged Warblers in this region.

Experimental Space Shuttle Orbiter Studies to Acquire Data for Code and Flight Heating Model Validation

Science.gov (United States)

Wadhams, T. P.; Holden, M. S.; MacLean, M. G.; Campbell, Charles

2010-01-01

In an experimental study to obtain detailed heating data over the Space Shuttle Orbiter, CUBRC has completed an extensive matrix of experiments using three distinct models and two unique hypervelocity wind tunnel facilities. This detailed data will be employed to assess heating augmentation due to boundary layer transition on the Orbiter wing leading edge and wind side acreage with comparisons to computational methods and flight data obtained during the Orbiter Entry Boundary Layer Flight Experiment and HYTHIRM during STS-119 reentry. These comparisons will facilitate critical updates to be made to the engineering tools employed to make assessments about natural and tripped boundary layer transition during Orbiter reentry. To achieve the goals of this study data was obtained over a range of Mach numbers from 10 to 18, with flight scaled Reynolds numbers and model attitudes representing key points on the Orbiter reentry trajectory. The first of these studies were performed as an integral part of Return to Flight activities following the accident that occurred during the reentry of the Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-107) in February of 2003. This accident was caused by debris, which originated from the foam covering the external tank bipod fitting ramps, striking and damaging critical wing leading edge heating tiles that reside in the Orbiter bow shock/wing interaction region. During investigation of the accident aeroheating team members discovered that only a limited amount of experimental wing leading edge data existed in this critical peak heating area and a need arose to acquire a detailed dataset of heating in this region. This new dataset was acquired in three phases consisting of a risk mitigation phase employing a 1.8% scale Orbiter model with special temperature sensitive paint covering the wing leading edge, a 0.9% scale Orbiter model with high resolution thin-film instrumentation in the span direction, and the primary 1.8% scale Orbiter model with detailed

Fluid Mechanics of Wing Adaptation for Separation Control

Science.gov (United States)

Chandrasekhara, M. S.; Wilder, M. C.; Carr, L. W.; Davis, Sanford S. (Technical Monitor)

1997-01-01

The unsteady fluid mechanics associated with use of a dynamically deforming leading edge airfoil for achieving compressible flow separation control has been experimentally studied. Changing the leading edge curvature at rapid rates dramatically alters the flow vorticity dynamics which is responsible for the many effects observed in the flow.

Performance, Stability, and Control Investigation at Mach Numbers from 0.4 to 0.9 of a Model of the "Swallow" with Outer Wing Panels Swept 25 degree with and without Power Simulation

Science.gov (United States)

Runckel, Jack F.; Schmeer, James W.; Cassetti, Marlowe D.

1960-01-01

An investigation of the performance, stability, and control characteristics of a variable-sweep arrow-wing model (the "Swallow") with the outer wing panels swept 25 deg has been conducted in the Langley 16-foot transonic tunnel. The wing was uncambered and untwisted and had RAE 102 airfoil sections with a thickness-to-chord ratio of 0.14 normal to the leading edge. Four outboard engines located above and below the wing provided propulsive thrust, and, by deflecting in the pitch direction and rotating in the lateral plane, also produced control forces. A pair of swept lateral fins and a single vertical fin were mounted on each engine nacelle to provide aerodynamic stability and control. Jets-off data were obtained with flow-through nacelles, stimulating the effects of inlet flow; jet thrust and hot-jet interference effects were obtained with faired-nose nacelles housing hydrogen peroxide gas generators. Six-component force and moment data were obtained through a Mach number range of 0.40 to 0.90 at angles of attack and angles of sideslip from 0 deg to 15 deg. Longitudinal, directional, and lateral control were obtained by deflecting the nacelle-fin combinations as elevators, rudders, and ailerons at several fixed angles for each control.

The role of flow field structure in determining the aerodynamic response of a delta wing

Science.gov (United States)

Addington, Gregory Alan

Delta wings have long been known to exhibit nonlinear aerodynamic responses as a result of the presence of helical leading-edge vortices. This nonlinearity, found under both steady-state and unsteady conditions, is particularly profound in the presence of vortex burst. Modeling such aerodynamic responses with the Nonlinear Indicial Response (NIR) methodology provides a means of simulating these nonlinearities through its inclusion of motion history in addition to superposition. The NIR model also includes provisions for a finite number of discrete locations where the aerodynamic response is discontinuous with response to a state variable. These critical states also separate regions of states where the unsteady aerodynamic responses are potentially of highly-disparate characters. Although these critical states have been found in the past, their relationship with flow field bifurcation is uncertain. The purpose of this dissertation is to explore the relationship between nonlinear aerodynamic responses, critical states and flow field bifurcations from an experimental approach. This task has been accomplished by comparing a comprehensive database of skin-friction line topologies with static and unsteady aerodynamic responses. These data were collected using a 65sp° delta wing which rolled about an inclined longitudinal body axis. In this study, compelling, but not conclusive, evidence was found to suggest that a bifurcation in the skin-friction line topology was a necessary condition for the presence of a critical state. Although the presence of critical states was well predicted through careful observation and analysis of highly-resolved static loading data alone, their precise placement as a function of the independent variable was aided through the consideration of the locations of skin-friction line bifurcations. Furthermore, these static data were found to contain indications of the basic lagged or unlagged behavior of the unsteady aerodynamic response. This

Time-varying wing-twist improves aerodynamic efficiency of forward flight in butterflies.

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, Lingxiao; Hedrick, Tyson L; Mittal, Rajat

2013-01-01

Insect wings can undergo significant chordwise (camber) as well as spanwise (twist) deformation during flapping flight but the effect of these deformations is not well understood. The shape and size of butterfly wings leads to particularly large wing deformations, making them an ideal test case for investigation of these effects. Here we use computational models derived from experiments on free-flying butterflies to understand the effect of time-varying twist and camber on the aerodynamic performance of these insects. High-speed videogrammetry is used to capture the wing kinematics, including deformation, of a Painted Lady butterfly (Vanessa cardui) in untethered, forward flight. These experimental results are then analyzed computationally using a high-fidelity, three-dimensional, unsteady Navier-Stokes flow solver. For comparison to this case, a set of non-deforming, flat-plate wing (FPW) models of wing motion are synthesized and subjected to the same analysis along with a wing model that matches the time-varying wing-twist observed for the butterfly, but has no deformation in camber. The simulations show that the observed butterfly wing (OBW) outperforms all the flat-plate wings in terms of usable force production as well as the ratio of lift to power by at least 29% and 46%, respectively. This increase in efficiency of lift production is at least three-fold greater than reported for other insects. Interestingly, we also find that the twist-only-wing (TOW) model recovers much of the performance of the OBW, demonstrating that wing-twist, and not camber is key to forward flight in these insects. The implications of this on the design of flapping wing micro-aerial vehicles are discussed.

Time-varying wing-twist improves aerodynamic efficiency of forward flight in butterflies.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lingxiao Zheng

Full Text Available Insect wings can undergo significant chordwise (camber as well as spanwise (twist deformation during flapping flight but the effect of these deformations is not well understood. The shape and size of butterfly wings leads to particularly large wing deformations, making them an ideal test case for investigation of these effects. Here we use computational models derived from experiments on free-flying butterflies to understand the effect of time-varying twist and camber on the aerodynamic performance of these insects. High-speed videogrammetry is used to capture the wing kinematics, including deformation, of a Painted Lady butterfly (Vanessa cardui in untethered, forward flight. These experimental results are then analyzed computationally using a high-fidelity, three-dimensional, unsteady Navier-Stokes flow solver. For comparison to this case, a set of non-deforming, flat-plate wing (FPW models of wing motion are synthesized and subjected to the same analysis along with a wing model that matches the time-varying wing-twist observed for the butterfly, but has no deformation in camber. The simulations show that the observed butterfly wing (OBW outperforms all the flat-plate wings in terms of usable force production as well as the ratio of lift to power by at least 29% and 46%, respectively. This increase in efficiency of lift production is at least three-fold greater than reported for other insects. Interestingly, we also find that the twist-only-wing (TOW model recovers much of the performance of the OBW, demonstrating that wing-twist, and not camber is key to forward flight in these insects. The implications of this on the design of flapping wing micro-aerial vehicles are discussed.

Quad-thopter: Tailless Flapping Wing Robot with 4 Pairs of Wings

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Wagter, C.; Karasek, M.; de Croon, G.C.H.E.; J.-M. Moschetta G. Hattenberger, H. de Plinval

2017-01-01

We present a novel design of a tailless flapping wing Micro Air Vehicle (MAV), which uses four independently driven pairs of flapping wings in order to fly and perform agile maneuvers. The wing pairs are arranged such that differential thrust generates the desired roll and pitch moments, similar to

MHD forced and free convection boundary layer flow near the leading edge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hossain, M.A.; Ahmed, M.

1988-07-01

Magnetohydrodynamic forced and free convection flow of an electrically conducting viscous incompressible fluid past a vertical flat plate with uniform heat flux in the presence of a magnetic field acting normal to the plate that moves with the fluid has been studied near the leading edge of the plate. The coupled non-linear equations are solved by the method of superposition for the values of the Prandtl number ranges from 0.01 to 10.0. The velocity and the temperature profiles are presented graphically and the values of the wall shear-stress as well as the heat transfer rate are presented in tabular form showing the effect of the buoyancy force and the applied magnetic field. To show the accuracy of the present method some typical values are compared with the available one. (author). 17 refs, 3 figs, 2 tabs

Wind-tunnel investigation of aerodynamic efficiency of three planar elliptical wings with curvature of quarter-chord line

Science.gov (United States)

Mineck, Raymond E.; Vijgen, Paul M. H. W.

1993-01-01

Three planar, untwisted wings with the same elliptical chord distribution but with different curvatures of the quarter-chord line were tested in the Langley 8-Foot Transonic Pressure Tunnel (8-ft TPT) and the Langley 7- by 10-Foot High-Speed Tunnel (7 x 10 HST). A fourth wing with a rectangular planform and the same projected area and span was also tested. Force and moment measurements from the 8-ft TPT tests are presented for Mach numbers from 0.3 to 0.5 and angles of attack from -4 degrees to 7 degrees. Sketches of the oil-flow patterns on the upper surfaces of the wings and some force and moment measurements from the 7 x 10 HST tests are presented at a Mach number of 0.5. Increasing the curvature of the quarter-chord line makes the angle of zero lift more negative but has little effect on the drag coefficient at zero lift. The changes in lift-curve slope and in the Oswald efficiency factor with the change in curvature of the quarter-chord line (wingtip location) indicate that the elliptical wing with the unswept quarter-chord line has the lowest lifting efficiency and the elliptical wing with the unswept trailing edge has the highest lifting efficiency; the crescent-shaped planform wing has an efficiency in between.

Myosin II activity is required for functional leading-edge cells and closure of epidermal sheets in fish skin ex vivo.

Science.gov (United States)

Morita, Toshiyuki; Tsuchiya, Akiko; Sugimoto, Masazumi

2011-09-01

Re-epithelialization in skin wound healing is a process in which epidermal sheets grow and close the wound. Although the actin-myosin system is thought to have a pivotal role in re-epithelialization, its role is not clear. In fish skin, re-epithelialization occurs around 500 μm/h and is 50 times faster than in mammalian skin. We had previously reported that leading-edge cells of the epidermal outgrowth have both polarized large lamellipodia and "purse string"-like actin filament cables in the scale-skin culture system of medaka fish, Oryzias latipes (Cell Tissue Res, 2007). The actin purse-string (APS) is a supracellular contractile machinery in which adherens junctions (AJs) link intracellular myosin II-including actin cables between neighboring cells. In this study, we developed a modified "face-to-face" scale-skin culture system as an ex vivo model to study epidermal wound healing, and examined the role of the actin-myosin system in the rapid re-epithelialization using a myosin II ATPase inhibitor, blebbistatin. A low level of blebbistatin suppressed the formation of APS and induced the dissociation of keratocytes from the leading edge without attenuating the growth of the epidermal sheet or the migration rate of solitary keratocytes. AJs in the superficial layer showed no obvious changes elicited by blebbistatin. However, two epidermal sheets without APSs did not make a closure with each other, which was confirmed by inhibiting the connecting AJs between the superficial layers. These results suggest that myosin II activity is required for functional leading-edge cells and for epidermal closure.

Design and verification of a smart wing for an extreme-agility micro-air-vehicle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wickramasinghe, Viresh; Chen, Yong; Martinez, Marcias; Kernaghan, Robert; Wong, Franklin

2011-01-01

A special class of fixed-wing micro-air-vehicle (MAV) is currently being designed to fly and hover to provide range superiority as well as being able to hover through a flight maneuver known as prop-hanging to accomplish a variety of surveillance missions. The hover maneuver requires roll control of the wing through differential aileron deflection but a conventional system contributes significantly to the gross weight and complexity of a MAV. Therefore, it is advantageous to use smart structure approaches with active materials to design a lightweight, robust wing for the MAV. The proposed smart wing consists of an active trailing edge flap integrated with bimorph actuators with piezoceramic fibers. Actuation is enhanced by preloading the bimorph actuators with a compressive axial load. The preload is exerted on the actuators through a passive latex or electroactive polymer (EAP) skin that wraps around the airfoil. An EAP skin would further enhance the actuation by providing an electrostatic effect of the dielectric polymer to increase the deflection. Analytical modeling as well as finite element analysis show that the proposed concept could achieve the target bi-directional deflection of 30° in typical flight conditions. Several bimorph actuators were manufactured and an experimental setup was designed to measure the static and dynamic deflections. The experimental results validated the analytical technique and finite element models, which have been further used to predict the performance of the smart wing design for a MAV

Design and verification of a smart wing for an extreme-agility micro-air-vehicle

Science.gov (United States)

Wickramasinghe, Viresh; Chen, Yong; Martinez, Marcias; Wong, Franklin; Kernaghan, Robert

2011-12-01

A special class of fixed-wing micro-air-vehicle (MAV) is currently being designed to fly and hover to provide range superiority as well as being able to hover through a flight maneuver known as prop-hanging to accomplish a variety of surveillance missions. The hover maneuver requires roll control of the wing through differential aileron deflection but a conventional system contributes significantly to the gross weight and complexity of a MAV. Therefore, it is advantageous to use smart structure approaches with active materials to design a lightweight, robust wing for the MAV. The proposed smart wing consists of an active trailing edge flap integrated with bimorph actuators with piezoceramic fibers. Actuation is enhanced by preloading the bimorph actuators with a compressive axial load. The preload is exerted on the actuators through a passive latex or electroactive polymer (EAP) skin that wraps around the airfoil. An EAP skin would further enhance the actuation by providing an electrostatic effect of the dielectric polymer to increase the deflection. Analytical modeling as well as finite element analysis show that the proposed concept could achieve the target bi-directional deflection of 30° in typical flight conditions. Several bimorph actuators were manufactured and an experimental setup was designed to measure the static and dynamic deflections. The experimental results validated the analytical technique and finite element models, which have been further used to predict the performance of the smart wing design for a MAV.

Aerodynamic comparison of a butterfly-like flapping wing-body model and a revolving-wing model

Science.gov (United States)

Suzuki, Kosuke; Yoshino, Masato

2017-06-01

The aerodynamic performance of flapping- and revolving-wing models is investigated by numerical simulations based on an immersed boundary-lattice Boltzmann method. As wing models, we use (i) a butterfly-like model with a body and flapping-rectangular wings and (ii) a revolving-wing model with the same wings as the flapping case. Firstly, we calculate aerodynamic performance factors such as the lift force, the power, and the power loading of the two models for Reynolds numbers in the range of 50-1000. For the flapping-wing model, the power loading is maximal for the maximum angle of attack of 90°, a flapping amplitude of roughly 45°, and a phase shift between the flapping angle and the angle of attack of roughly 90°. For the revolving-wing model, the power loading peaks for an angle of attack of roughly 45°. In addition, we examine the ground effect on the aerodynamic performance of the revolving-wing model. Secondly, we compare the aerodynamic performance of the flapping- and revolving-wing models at their respective maximal power loadings. It is found that the revolving-wing model is more efficient than the flapping-wing model both when the body of the latter is fixed and where it can move freely. Finally, we discuss the relative agilities of the flapping- and revolving-wing models.

An Airplane Design having a Wing with Fuselage Attached to Each Tip

Science.gov (United States)

Spearman, Leroy M.

2001-01-01

This paper describes the conceptual design of an airplane having a low aspect ratio wing with fuselages that are attached to each wing tip. The concept is proposed for a high-capacity transport as an alternate to progressively increasing the size of a conventional transport design having a single fuselage with cantilevered wing panels attached to the sides and tail surfaces attached at the rear. Progressively increasing the size of conventional single body designs may lead to problems in some area's such as manufacturing, ground-handling and aerodynamic behavior. A limited review will be presented of some past work related to means of relieving some size constraints through the use of multiple bodies. Recent low-speed wind-tunnel tests have been made of models representative of the inboard-wing concept. These models have a low aspect ratio wing with a fuselage attached to each tip. Results from these tests, which included force measurements, surface pressure measurements, and wake surveys, will be presented herein.

FijiWingsPolarity: An open source toolkit for semi-automated detection of cell polarity.

Science.gov (United States)

Dobens, Leonard L; Shipman, Anna; Axelrod, Jeffrey D

2018-01-02

Epithelial cells are defined by apical-basal and planar cell polarity (PCP) signaling, the latter of which establishes an orthogonal plane of polarity in the epithelial sheet. PCP signaling is required for normal cell migration, differentiation, stem cell generation and tissue repair, and defects in PCP have been associated with developmental abnormalities, neuropathologies and cancers. While the molecular mechanism of PCP is incompletely understood, the deepest insights have come from Drosophila, where PCP is manifest in hairs and bristles across the adult cuticle and organization of the ommatidia in the eye. Fly wing cells are marked by actin-rich trichome structures produced at the distal edge of each cell in the developing wing epithelium and in a mature wing the trichomes orient collectively in the distal direction. Genetic screens have identified key PCP signaling pathway components that disrupt trichome orientation, which has been measured manually in a tedious and error prone process. Here we describe a set of image processing and pattern-recognition macros that can quantify trichome arrangements in micrographs and mark these directly by color, arrow or colored arrow to indicate trichome location, length and orientation. Nearest neighbor calculations are made to exploit local differences in orientation to better and more reliably detect and highlight local defects in trichome polarity. We demonstrate the use of these tools on trichomes in adult wing preps and on actin-rich developing trichomes in pupal wing epithelia stained with phalloidin. FijiWingsPolarity is freely available and will be of interest to a broad community of fly geneticists studying the effect of gene function on PCP.

Aerodynamics power consumption for mechanical flapping wings undergoing flapping and pitching motion

Science.gov (United States)

Razak, N. A.; Dimitriadis, G.; Razaami, A. F.

2017-07-01

Lately, due to the growing interest in Micro Aerial Vehicles (MAV), interest in flapping flight has been rekindled. The reason lies in the improved performance of flapping wing flight at low Reynolds number regime. Many studies involving flapping wing flight focused on the generation of unsteady aerodynamic forces such as lift and thrust. There is one aspect of flapping wing flight that received less attention. The aspect is aerodynamic power consumption. Since most mechanical flapping wing aircraft ever designed are battery powered, power consumption is fundamental in improving flight endurance. This paper reports the results of experiments carried out on mechanical wings under going active root flapping and pitching in the wind tunnel. The objective of the work is to investigate the effect of the pitch angle oscillations and wing profile on the power consumption of flapping wings via generation of unsteady aerodynamic forces. The experiments were repeated for different airspeeds, flapping and pitching kinematics, geometric angle of attack and wing sections with symmetric and cambered airfoils. A specially designed mechanical flapper modelled on large migrating birds was used. It will be shown that, under pitch leading conditions, less power is required to overcome the unsteady aerodnamics forces. The study finds less power requirement for downstroke compared to upstroke motion. Overall results demonstrate power consumption depends directly on the unsteady lift force.

Use of a pitot probe for determining wing section drag in flight

Science.gov (United States)

Saltzman, E. J.

1975-01-01

A wake traversing probe was used to obtain section drag and wake profile data from the wing of a sailplane. The transducer sensed total pressure defect in the wake as well as freestream total pressure on both sides of the sensing element when the probe moved beyond the wake. Profiles of wake total pressure defects plotted as a function of distance above and below the trailing edge plane were averaged for calculating section drag coefficients for flights at low dynamic pressures.

Wing Tip Drag Reduction at Nominal Take-Off Mach Number: An Approach to Local Active Flow Control with a Highly Robust Actuator System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Matthias Bauer

2016-10-01

Full Text Available This paper discusses wind tunnel test results aimed at advancing active flow control technology to increase the aerodynamic efficiency of an aircraft during take-off. A model of the outer section of a representative civil airliner wing was equipped with two-stage fluidic actuators between the slat edge and wing tip, where mechanical high-lift devices fail to integrate. The experiments were conducted at a nominal take-off Mach number of M = 0.2. At this incidence velocity, separation on the wing section, accompanied by increased drag, is triggered by the strong slat edge vortex at high angles of attack. On the basis of global force measurements and local static pressure data, the effect of pulsed blowing on the complex flow is evaluated, considering various momentum coefficients and spanwise distributions of the actuation effort. It is shown that through local intensification of forcing, a momentum coefficient of less than c μ = 0.6 % suffices to offset the stall by 2.4°, increase the maximum lift by more than 10% and reduce the drag by 37% compared to the uncontrolled flow.

Inwardly rectifying potassium channels influence Drosophila wing morphogenesis by regulating Dpp release.

Science.gov (United States)

Dahal, Giri Raj; Pradhan, Sarala Joshi; Bates, Emily Anne

2017-08-01

Loss of embryonic ion channel function leads to morphological defects, but the underlying reason for these defects remains elusive. Here, we show that inwardly rectifying potassium (Irk) channels regulate release of the Drosophila bone morphogenetic protein Dpp in the developing fly wing and that this is necessary for developmental signaling. Inhibition of Irk channels decreases the incidence of distinct Dpp-GFP release events above baseline fluorescence while leading to a broader distribution of Dpp-GFP. Work by others in different cell types has shown that Irk channels regulate peptide release by modulating membrane potential and calcium levels. We found calcium transients in the developing wing, and inhibition of Irk channels reduces the duration and amplitude of calcium transients. Depolarization with high extracellular potassium evokes Dpp release. Taken together, our data implicate Irk channels as a requirement for regulated release of Dpp, highlighting the importance of the temporal pattern of Dpp presentation for morphogenesis of the wing. © 2017. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

Pneumatic artificial muscles for trailing edge flap actuation: a feasibility study

Science.gov (United States)

Woods, Benjamin K. S.; Kothera, Curt S.; Sirohi, Jayant; Wereley, Norman M.

2011-10-01

In this study a novel aircraft trailing edge flap actuation system was developed and tested. Pneumatic artificial muscles (PAMs) were used as the driving elements of this system to demonstrate their feasibility and utility as an alternative aerospace actuation technology. A prototype flap/actuator system was integrated into a model wing section and tested on the bench-top under simulated airloads for flight at 100 m s-1 (M = 0.3) and in an open-jet wind tunnel at free stream velocities ranging up to 45 m s-1 (M = 0.13). Testing was performed for actuator pressures ranging from 0.069 to 0.62 MPa (10-90 psi) and actuation frequencies from 0.1 to 31 Hz. Results show that the PAM-driven trailing edge flap system can generate substantial and sustainable dynamic deflections, thereby proving the feasibility of using pneumatic artificial muscle actuators in a trailing edge flap system. Key issues limiting system performance are identified, that should be resolved in future research.

Application of panel methods in external store load calculations

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Van Den Broek, GJ

1984-07-01

Full Text Available below the wing is first considered; then, the effect of the wing panelling in the leading edge region, where the singularity distributions show large gradients, on the flow field is studied. Both lift and thickness effects are taken into account....

Effect of chordwise deformation on unsteady aerodynamic mechanisms in hovering flapping flight

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Noyon, T.A.; Tay, W.B.; Van Oudheusden, B.W.; Bijl, H.

2014-01-01

A three-dimensional simulation of hovering flapping wings was performed using an immersed boundary method. This was done to investigate the effects of chordwise wing deformation on three important unsteady aerodynamic mechanisms found in flapping flight, namely Leading Edge Vortex (LEV) shedding,

The development of a closed-loop flight controller with panel method integration for gust alleviation using biomimetic feathers on aircraft wings

Science.gov (United States)

Blower, Christopher J.; Lee, Woody; Wickenheiser, Adam M.

2012-04-01

This paper presents the development of a biomimetic closed-loop flight controller that integrates gust alleviation and flight control into a single distributed system. Modern flight controllers predominantly rely on and respond to perturbations in the global states, resulting in rotation or displacement of the entire aircraft prior to the response. This bio-inspired gust alleviation system (GAS) employs active deflection of electromechanical feathers that react to changes in the airflow, i.e. the local states. The GAS design is a skeletal wing structure with a network of featherlike panels installed on the wing's surfaces, creating the airfoil profile and replacing the trailing-edge flaps. In this study, a dynamic model of the GAS-integrated wing is simulated to compute gust-induced disturbances. The system implements continuous adjustment to flap orientation to perform corrective responses to inbound gusts. MATLAB simulations, using a closed-loop LQR integrated with a 2D adaptive panel method, allow analysis of the morphing structure's aerodynamic data. Non-linear and linear dynamic models of the GAS are compared to a traditional single control surface baseline wing. The feedback loops synthesized rely on inertial changes in the global states; however, variations in number and location of feather actuation are compared. The bio-inspired system's distributed control effort allows the flight controller to interchange between the single and dual trailing edge flap profiles, thereby offering an improved efficiency to gust response in comparison to the traditional wing configuration. The introduction of aero-braking during continuous gusting flows offers a 25% reduction in x-velocity deviation; other flight parameters can be reduced in magnitude and deviation through control weighting optimization. Consequently, the GAS demonstrates enhancements to maneuverability and stability in turbulent intensive environments.

Aeroelastic Wing Shaping Using Distributed Propulsion

Science.gov (United States)

Nguyen, Nhan T. (Inventor); Reynolds, Kevin Wayne (Inventor); Ting, Eric B. (Inventor)

2017-01-01

An aircraft has wings configured to twist during flight. Inboard and outboard propulsion devices, such as turbofans or other propulsors, are connected to each wing, and are spaced along the wing span. A flight controller independently controls thrust of the inboard and outboard propulsion devices to significantly change flight dynamics, including changing thrust of outboard propulsion devices to twist the wing, and to differentially apply thrust on each wing to change yaw and other aspects of the aircraft during various stages of a flight mission. One or more generators can be positioned upon the wing to provide power for propulsion devices on the same wing, and on an opposite wing.

The helicase, DDX3X, interacts with poly(A)-binding protein 1 (PABP1) and caprin-1 at the leading edge of migrating fibroblasts and is required for efficient cell spreading.

Science.gov (United States)

Copsey, Alice C; Cooper, Simon; Parker, Robert; Lineham, Ella; Lapworth, Cuzack; Jallad, Deema; Sweet, Steve; Morley, Simon J

2017-08-30

DDX3X, a helicase, can interact directly with mRNA and translation initiation factors, regulating the selective translation of mRNAs that contain a structured 5' untranslated region. This activity modulates the expression of mRNAs controlling cell cycle progression and mRNAs regulating actin dynamics, contributing to cell adhesion and motility. Previously, we have shown that ribosomes and translation initiation factors localise to the leading edge of migrating fibroblasts in loci enriched with actively translating ribosomes, thereby promoting steady-state levels of ArpC2 and Rac1 proteins at the leading edge of cells during spreading. As DDX3X can regulate Rac1 levels, cell motility and metastasis, we have examined DDX3X protein interactions and localisation using many complementary approaches. We now show that DDX3X can physically interact and co-localise with poly(A)-binding protein 1 and caprin-1 at the leading edge of spreading cells. Furthermore, as depletion of DDX3X leads to decreased cell motility, this provides a functional link between DDX3X, caprin-1 and initiation factors at the leading edge of migrating cells to promote cell migration and spreading. © 2017 The Author(s).

Experimental and numerical analysis of the wing rock characteristics of a 'wing-body-tail' configuration

Science.gov (United States)

Suarez, Carlos J.; Smith, Brooke C.; Malcolm, Gerald N.

1993-01-01

Free-to-roll wind tunnel tests were conducted and a computer simulation exercise was performed in an effort to investigate in detail the mechanism of wing rock on a configuration that consisted of a highly-slender forebody and a 78 deg swept delta wing. In the wind tunnel test, the roll angle and wing surface pressures were measured during the wing rock motion. A limit cycle oscillation was observed for angles of attack between 22 deg and 30 deg. In general, the wind tunnel test confirmed that the main flow phenomena responsible for the wing-body-tail wing rock are the interactions between the forebody and the wing vortices. The variation of roll acceleration (determined from the second derivative of the roll angle time history) with roll angle clearly showed the energy balance necessary to sustain the limit cycle oscillation. Pressure measurements on the wing revealed the hysteresis of the wing rock process. First, second and nth order models for the aerodynamic damping were developed and examined with a one degree of freedom computer simulation. Very good agreement with the observed behavior from the wind tunnel was obtained.

Oscillation of Vortex Breakdown Location and Blowing Control of Time-Averaged Location

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Mitchell, Anthony

2000-01-01

The goal of this research is the control of leading-edge vortex breakdown location utilizing along-the-core blowing near the apex on the leeward surface of sharp-edged, slender, delta wings at high angles of attack...

Power spectrum weighted edge analysis for straight edge detection in images

Science.gov (United States)

Karvir, Hrishikesh V.; Skipper, Julie A.

2007-04-01

Most man-made objects provide characteristic straight line edges and, therefore, edge extraction is a commonly used target detection tool. However, noisy images often yield broken edges that lead to missed detections, and extraneous edges that may contribute to false target detections. We present a sliding-block approach for target detection using weighted power spectral analysis. In general, straight line edges appearing at a given frequency are represented as a peak in the Fourier domain at a radius corresponding to that frequency, and a direction corresponding to the orientation of the edges in the spatial domain. Knowing the edge width and spacing between the edges, a band-pass filter is designed to extract the Fourier peaks corresponding to the target edges and suppress image noise. These peaks are then detected by amplitude thresholding. The frequency band width and the subsequent spatial filter mask size are variable parameters to facilitate detection of target objects of different sizes under known imaging geometries. Many military objects, such as trucks, tanks and missile launchers, produce definite signatures with parallel lines and the algorithm proves to be ideal for detecting such objects. Moreover, shadow-casting objects generally provide sharp edges and are readily detected. The block operation procedure offers advantages of significant reduction in noise influence, improved edge detection, faster processing speed and versatility to detect diverse objects of different sizes in the image. With Scud missile launcher replicas as target objects, the method has been successfully tested on terrain board test images under different backgrounds, illumination and imaging geometries with cameras of differing spatial resolution and bit-depth.

Wing Torsional Stiffness Tests of the Active Aeroelastic Wing F/A-18 Airplane

Science.gov (United States)

Lokos, William A.; Olney, Candida D.; Crawford, Natalie D.; Stauf, Rick; Reichenbach, Eric Y.

2002-01-01

The left wing of the Active Aeroelastic Wing (AAW) F/A-18 airplane has been ground-load-tested to quantify its torsional stiffness. The test has been performed at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center in November 1996, and again in April 2001 after a wing skin modification was performed. The primary objectives of these tests were to characterize the wing behavior before the first flight, and provide a before-and-after measurement of the torsional stiffness. Two streamwise load couples have been applied. The wing skin modification is shown to have more torsional flexibility than the original configuration has. Additionally, structural hysteresis is shown to be reduced by the skin modification. Data comparisons show good repeatability between the tests.

Aerodynamic Impact of an Aft-Facing Slat-Step on High Re Airfoils

Science.gov (United States)

Kibble, Geoffrey; Petrin, Chris; Jacob, Jamey; Elbing, Brian; Ireland, Peter; Black, Buddy

2016-11-01

Typically, the initial aerodynamic design and subsequent testing and simulation of an aircraft wing assumes an ideal wing surface without imperfections. In reality, however the surface of an in-service aircraft wing rarely matches the surface characteristics of the test wings used during the conceptual design phase and certification process. This disconnect is usually deemed negligible or overlooked entirely. Specifically, many aircraft incorporate a leading edge slat; however, the mating between the slat and the top surface of the wing is not perfectly flush and creates a small aft-facing step behind the slat. In some cases, the slat can create a step as large as one millimeter tall, which is entirely submerged within the boundary layer. This abrupt change in geometry creates a span-wise vortex behind the step and in transonic flow causes a shock to form near the leading edge. This study investigates both experimentally and computationally the implications of an aft-facing slat-step on an aircraft wing and is compared to the ideal wing surface for subsonic and transonic flow conditions. The results of this study are useful for design of flow control modifications for aircraft currently in service and important for improving the next generation of aircraft wings.

Review Results on Wing-Body Interference

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Frolov Vladimir

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The paper presents an overview of results for wing-body interference, obtained by the author for varied wing-body combinations. The lift-curve slopes of the wing-body combinations are considered. In this paper a discrete vortices method (DVM and 2D potential model for cross-flow around fuselage are used. The circular and elliptical cross-sections of the fuselage and flat wings of various forms are considered. Calculations showed that the value of the lift-curve slopes of the wing-body combinations may exceed the same value for an isolated wing. This result confirms an experimental data obtained by other authors earlier. Within a framework of the used mathematical models the investigations to optimize the wing-body combination were carried. The present results of the optimization problem for the wing-body combination allowed to select the optimal geometric characteristics for configuration to maximize the values of the lift-curve slopes of the wing-body combination. It was revealed that maximums of the lift-curve slopes for the optimal mid-wing configuration with elliptical cross-section body had a sufficiently large relative width of the body (more than 30% of the span wing.

Morphing Wing: Experimental Boundary Layer Transition Determination and Wing Vibrations Measurements and Analysis =

Science.gov (United States)

Tondji Chendjou, Yvan Wilfried

This Master's thesis is written within the framework of the multidisciplinary international research project CRIAQ MDO-505. This global project consists of the design, manufacture and testing of a morphing wing box capable of changing the shape of the flexible upper skin of a wing using an actuator system installed inside the wing. This changing of the shape generates a delay in the occurrence of the laminar to turbulent transition area, which results in an improvement of the aerodynamic performances of the morphed wing. This thesis is focused on the technologies used to gather the pressure data during the wind tunnel tests, as well as on the post processing methodologies used to characterize the wing airflow. The vibration measurements of the wing and their real-time graphical representation are also presented. The vibration data acquisition system is detailed, and the vibration data analysis confirms the predictions of the flutter analysis performed on the wing prior to wind tunnel testing at the IAR-NRC. The pressure data was collected using 32 highly-sensitive piezoelectric sensors for sensing the pressure fluctuations up to 10 KHz. These sensors were installed along two wing chords, and were further connected to a National Instrument PXI real-time acquisition system. The acquired pressure data was high-pass filtered, analyzed and visualized using Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) and Standard Deviation (SD) approaches to quantify the pressure fluctuations in the wing airflow, as these allow the detection of the laminar to turbulent transition area. Around 30% of the cases tested in the IAR-NRC wind tunnel were optimized for drag reduction by the morphing wing procedure. The obtained pressure measurements results were compared with results obtained by infrared thermography visualization, and were used to validate the numerical simulations. Two analog accelerometers able to sense dynamic accelerations up to +/-16g were installed in both the wing and the aileron boxes

α-Crystallin localizes to the leading edges of migrating lens epithelial cells