Compression Pylon

A compression pylon for an aircraft with a wing-mounted engine, that does not cause supersonic airflow to occur within the fuselage-wing-pylon-nacelle channel is presented. The chord length of the pylon is greater than the local chord length of the wing to which it is attached. The maximum thickness of the pylon occurs at a point corresponding to the local trailing edge of the wing. As a result, the airflow through the channel never reaches supersonic velocities

Wingtip vortex turbine

A means for extracting rotational energy from the vortex created at aircraft wing tips which consists of a turbine with blades located in the crossflow of the vortex and attached downstream of the wingtip. The turbine has blades attached to a core. When the aircraft is in motion, rotation of a core transmits energy to a centrally attached shaft. The rotational energy thus generated may be put to use within the airfoil or aircraft fuselage

Flight test to determine feasibility of a proposed airborne wake vortex detection concept

This investigation was conducted to determine the radial extent at which aircraft mounted flow vanes or roll rate gyros can sense the circulatory flow field that exists around the lift induced vortex system generated by an aircraft in flight. The probe aircraft was equipped with wingtip sensors for measuring angle of attack and angle of sideslip, and with a fuselage mounted gyroscope for measuring roll rate. Analysis of flight test data indicated that the vortex was detectable at a lateral distance of about 105 feet (best results) using unsophisticated equipment. Measurements were made from the centerline of the probe aircraft to the center of the nearest vortex with the probe aircraft flying between one half and one and one half miles behind the vortex generating aircraft

Effect of location of aft-mounted nacelles on the longitudinal aerodynamic characteristics of a high-wing transport airplane

As part of a propulsion/airframe integration program at Langley Research Center, tests were conducted in the Langley 16-Foot Transonic Tunnel to determine the effects of locating flow-through mixed flow engine nacelles in several aft underwing positions on the longitudinal aerodynamics of a high wing transport airplane. D-shaped inlet nacelles were used in the test. Some configurations with antishock bodies and with nacelle toe-in were also tested. Data were obtained for a free stream Mach number range of 0.70 to 0.85 and a model angle-of-attack range from -2.5 to 4.0 degrees

Evaluation of installed performance of a wing-tip-mounted pusher turboprop on a semispan wing

An exploratory investigation has been conducted at the Langley Research Center to determine the effect of a wing-tip-mounted pusher turboprop on the aerodynamic characteristics of a semispan wing. Tests were conducted on a semispan model with an upswept, untapered wing and an airdriven motor that powered an SR-2 high-speed propeller located on the tip of the wing as a pusher propeller. All tests were conducted at a Mach number of 0.70 over an angle-of-attack range from approximately -2 to 4 deg at a Reynolds number of 3.82 x 10 to the 6th based on the wing reference chord of 13 in. The data indicate that, as a result of locating the propeller behind the wing trailing edge at the wing tip in the crossflow of the wing-tip vortex, it is possible to improve propeller performance and simultaneously reduce the lift-induced drag

Underwing compression vortex attenuation device

A vortex attenuation device is presented which dissipates a lift-induced vortex generated by a lifting aircraft wing. The device consists of a positive pressure gradient producing means in the form of a compression panel attached to the lower surface of the wing and facing perpendicular to the airflow across the wing. The panel is located between the midpoint of the local wing cord and the trailing edge in the chord-wise direction and at a point which is approximately 55 percent of the wing span as measured from the fuselage center line in the spanwise direction. When deployed in flight, this panel produces a positive pressure gradient aligned with the final roll-up of the total vortex system which interrupts the axial flow in the vortex core and causes the vortex to collapse

Natural laminar flow nacelle for transport aircraft

The potential of laminar flow nacelles for reducing installed engine/nacelle drag was studied. The purpose was twofold: to experimentally verify a method for designing laminar flow nacelles and to determine the effect of installation on the extent of laminar flow on the nacelle and on the nacelle pressure distributions. The results of the isolated nacelle tests illustrated that laminar flow could be maintained over the desired length. Installing the nacelles on wing/pylon did not alter the extent of laminar flow occurring on the nacelles. The results illustrated that a significant drag reduction was achieved with this laminar flow design. Further drag reduction could be obtained with proper nacelle location and pylon contouring

Early Detection of Brain Pathology Suggestive of Early AD Using Objective Evaluation of FDG-PET Scans

The need for early detection of AD becomes critical as disease-modifying agents near the marketplace. Here, we present results from a study focused on improvement in detection of metabolic deficits related to neurodegenerative changes consistent with possible early AD with statistical evaluation of FDG-PET brain images. We followed 31 subjects at high risk or diagnosed with MCI/AD for 3 years. 15 met criteria for diagnosis of MCI, and five met criteria for AD. FDG-PET scans were completed at initiation and termination of the study. PET scans were read clinically and also evaluated objectively using Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM). Using standard clinical evaluation of the FDG-PET scans, 11 subjects were detected, while 18 were detected using SPM evaluation. These preliminary results indicate that objective analyses may improve detection; however, early detection in at-risk normal subjects remains tentative. Several FDA-approved software packages are available that use objective analyses, thus the capacity exists for wider use of this method for MCI/AD