ALBERT

Description: In order to overcome the drag at hypersonic speed, hypersonic flight vehicles require a high level of integration between the airframe and the propulsion system. Propulsion system based on scramjet engine needs a close interaction between its aerodynamics and stability. Hypersonic vehicle nozzles which are responsible for generating most of the thrust generally are fused with the vehicle afterbody influencing the thrust efficiency and vehicle stability. Single expansion ramp nozzles (SERN) produce enough thrust necessary to hypersonic flight and are the subject of analysis of this work. Flow expansion within a nozzle is naturally 3D phenomena; however, the use of side walls controls the expansion approximating it to a 2D flow confined. An experimental study of nozzle performance traditionally uses the stagnation conditions and the area ratio of the diverging section of the tunnel for approaching the combustor exit conditions. In this work, a complete hypersonic vehicle based on scramjet propulsion is installed in the test section of a hypersonic shock tunnel. Therefore, the SERN inlet conditions are the real conditions from the combustor exit. The performance of a SERN is evaluated experimentally under real conditions obtained from the combustor exit. To quantify the SERN performance parameters such as thrust, axial thrust coefficient Cfx and lift L are investigated and evaluated. The generated thrust was determined from both static and pitot pressure measurements considering the installation of side walls to approximate 2D flow. Measurements obtained by a rake show that the flow at the nozzle exit is not symmetric. Pitot and pressure measurements inside the combustion chamber show nonuniform flow condition as expected due to side wall compression and boundary layer. The total axial thrust for the nozzle obtained with the side wall is slightly higher than without it. Static pressure measurements at the centerline of the nozzle show that the residence time of the flow in the expansion section is short enough and the flow of the central region of the nozzle is not altered by the lateral expansion when nozzle configuration does not include side walls.

Description: The Brazilian hypersonic scramjet aerospace vehicle 14-X B is a technological demonstrator of a hypersonic airbreathing propulsion system based on the supersonic combustion (scramjet) to be tested in flight into the Earth’s atmosphere at an altitude of 30 km and Mach number 7. The 14-X B has been designed at the Prof. Henry T. Nagamatsu Laboratory of Aerothermodynamics and Hypersonics, Institute for Advanced Studies (IEAv), Brazil. The IEAv T3 Hypersonic Shock Tunnel is a ground-test facility able to produce high Mach number and high enthalpy flows in the test section close to those encountered during the flight of the 14-X B into the Earth’s atmosphere at hypersonic flight speeds. A 1 m long stainless steel 14-X B model was experimentally investigated at T3 Hypersonic Shock Tunnel, for freestream Mach numbers ranging from 7 to 8. Static pressure measurements along the lower surface of the 14-X B, as well as high-speed Schlieren photographs taken from the 5.5° leading edge and the 14.5° deflection compression ramp, provided experimental data. Experimental data was compared to the analytical theoretical solutions and the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations, showing good qualitative agreement and in consequence demonstrating the importance of these methods in the project of the 14-X B hypersonic scramjet aerospace vehicle.

Description: Orobanche cumanais a holoparasitic plant naturally distributed from central Asia to south-eastern Europe, where it parasitizes wild Asteraceae species. It is also an important parasitic weed of sunflower crops. The objective of this research was to investigate genetic diversity, population structure, and virulence on sunflower ofO. cumanapopulations parasitizing wild plants in eastern Bulgaria. Fresh tissue of eightO. cumanapopulations and mature seeds of four of them were collectedin situon wild hosts. Genetic diversity and population structure were studied with SSR markers and compared to weedy populations. Two main gene pools were identified in Bulgarian populations, with most of the populations having intermediate characteristics. Cross-inoculation experiments revealed thatO. cumanapopulations collected on wild species possessed similar ability to parasitize sunflower to those collected on sunflower. The results were explained on the basis of an effective genetic exchange between populations parasitizing sunflower crops and those parasitizing wild species. The occurrence of bidirectional gene flow may have an impact on wild populations, as new physiological races continuously emerge in weedy populations. Also, genetic variability of wild populations may favour the ability of weedy populations to overcome sunflower resistance mechanisms.