Propulsion airframe integration

Wind tunnel simulation tests are reported that utilize a 20 inch powered nacelle for airframe integration studies. Considered are: effects of boattail positioning, nacelle size, aft fuselage drag, over-the-wing half span model installation, and turboprop and ducted fan configurations

High speed turboprops for executive aircraft, potential and recent test results

Four high speed propeller models were designed and tested in an 8x6 foot wind tunnel in order to evaluate the potential of advanced propeller technology. Results from these tests show that the combination of: increased blade number, aerodynamically integrated propeller/nacelles, reduced blade thickness, spinner area ruling, and blade sweep are important in achieving high propeller efficiency at the high cruise speeds

Summary and recent results from the NASA advanced High Speed Propeller Research Program

Advanced high-speed propellers offer large performance improvements for aircraft that cruise in the Mach 0.7 to 0.8 speed regime. The current status of the NASA research program on high-speed propeller aerodynamics, acoustics, and aeroelastics is described. Recent wind tunnel results for five 8- to 10-blade advanced models are compared with analytical predictions. Test results show that blade sweep was important in achieving net efficiencies near 80 percent at Mach 0.8 and reducing near-field cruise noise by dB. Lifting line and lifting surface aerodynamic analysis codes are under development and some initial lifting line results are compared with propeller force and probe data. Some initial laser velocimeter measurements of the flow field velocities of an 8-bladed 45 deg swept propeller are shown. Experimental aeroelastic results indicate that cascade effects and blade sweep strongly affect propeller aeroelastic characteristics. Comparisons of propeller near-field noise data with linear acoustic theory indicate that the theory adequate predicts near-field noise for subsonic tip speeds but overpredicts the noise for supersonic tip speeds. Potential large gains in propeller efficiency of 7 to 11 percent at Mach 0.8 may be possible with advanced counter-rotation propellers

Size Measurement of Fine Sediments By Electrical Resistance

The purpose of the experiment herein reported is to establish whether or not a correlation exists between the settling velocities of the fine particles of sediments and the change in resistance to the flow of electricity through a fluid containing the sediments. It was assumed that the sediments would behave according to Stokes’ Law regarding the velocities of their settling, and the pipette method of analysis was used to measure the particle size with which to compare the results of measuring change of resistance. The equipment used in measuring the change of resistance as the particles settled was a 1,000 ml. graduated cylinder, drilled and fitted with electrodes, and joined to an electrical circuit as one of the resistances of a Wheatstone Bridge. A decade box was used as a balancing resistance and the point of balance was determined with an oscilloscope. Filling the cylinder with distilled water and introducing the sediments caused an unbalance in the bridge which was balanced by the decade box and the amount of change was noted against time. Before a satisfactory circuit was found for accomplishing the measurement just described, the order of magnitude of the resistance, the type of load caused by the fluid and the sediment, the effect of both alternating and direct current, the effect of addition of electrolytes into the fluid, the effect of variation of the chemical composition of the sediment, the effect on conductivity from allowing the sediment to remain in solution for five hours and later for two days, the effect on conductivity by increasing the amount of sediment, all had to be investigated. The report consists mainly of the results of these investigations. Further investigations than these are necessary to establish the nature of any correlation which may exist between particle size and electrical resistance. The experiment points to the fact that solution activity is so great when sediments are introduced into water that the electrical properties of the sediment change in accordance to the rate of solubility, and that since this is true, other physical properties of sediments may be so greatly changed upon their introduction into solutions that any attempt to measure these properties may result in serious errors. Particle size is probably one of these properties

Summary of recent NASA propeller research

Advanced high-speed propellers offer large performance improvements for aircraft that cruise in the Mach 0.7 to 0.8 speed regime. At these speeds, studies indicate that there is a 15 to near 40 percent block fuel savings and associated operating cost benefits for advanced turboprops compared to equivalent technology turbofan powered aircraft. Recent wind tunnel results for five eight to ten blade advanced models are compared with analytical predictions. Test results show that blade sweep was important in achieving net efficiencies near 80 percent at Mach 0.8 and reducing nearfield cruise noise by about 6 dB. Lifting line and lifting surface aerodynamic analysis codes are under development and some results are compared with propeller force and probe data. Also, analytical predictions are compared with some initial laser velocimeter measurements of the flow field velocities of an eightbladed 45 swept propeller. Experimental aeroelastic results indicate that cascade effects and blade sweep strongly affect propeller aeroelastic characteristics. Comparisons of propeller near-field noise data with linear acoustic theory indicate that the theory adequately predicts near-field noise for subsonic tip speeds but overpredicts the noise for supersonic tip speeds

Wind tunnel performance of four energy efficient propellers designed for Mach 0.8 cruise

Several advanced aerodynamic and acoustic concepts were investigated in recent wind tunnel tests performed in the NASA-Lewis Research Center 8x6 foot wind tunnel. These concepts included aerodynamically integrated propeller/nacelles, area-ruling, blade sweep, reduced blade thickness, and power (disk) loadings several times higher than conventional designs. Four eight-bladed propeller models were tested to determine aerodynamic performance. Relative noise measurements were made on three of the models at cruise conditions. Three of the models were designed with swept blades and one with straight blades. At the design Mach number of 0.8, power coefficient of 1.7, and advance ratio of 3.06, the straight bladed model had the lowest net efficiency of 75.8 percent. Increasing the sweep to 30 deg improved the performance to near 77 percent. Installation of an area-ruled spinner on a 30 deg sweep model further improved the efficiency to about 78 percent. The model with the highest blade sweep (45 deg) and an area-ruled spinner had the highest net efficiency of 78.7 percent, and at lower power loadings the efficiency exceeded 80 percent. At lower Mach numbers the 30 deg swept model had the highest efficiency. Values near 81 percent were obtained for the design loading at speeds to Mach 0.7. Relative noise measurements indicated that the acoustically designed 45 deg sweep model reduced the near field cruise noise by between 5 and 6 dB

Improvement of n-GaN Schottky diode rectifying characteristics using KOH etching

KOH etch was investigated as a means to improve the I–Vcharacteristics of Schottky diodes onn-type GaNgrown by molecular-beam epitaxy on sapphire, or on hydride vapor phase epitaxy templates. Atomic force microscopy images and I–Vcharacteristics are presented. After etching as-grown films in molten KOH, Schottky diodes on c-plane GaN had orders of magnitude reduction in reverse leakage current. The best devices had leakage currents less than 10−12 A (10−8 A/cm2) at −5 V, and ideality factors of 1.04. Measurements on several different sample structures indicate a correlation between surface roughness and saturation current, and an improvement in ideality factor when etched in KOH. Phosphoric acid was also investigated, but did not result in significant improvements in I–Vcharacteristics