ALBERT

Description: Propulsion, while conventionally included on the list of important aeronautical disciplines along with aerodynamics, structures, etc., is in itself a systems endeavor, analogous to the engineering of the entire vehicle; indeed propulsion encompasses important aspects of all the other disciplines. In recognition of this fact, the panel focused its discussion on those aspects of the key disciplines that are especially or uniquely important to propulsion. From the initial development of the airplane, the propulsion system has been recognized as one of the pacing technologies. It is perhaps because of the technological disparity between the reciprocating engine and the primitive airframe that the two remained relatively and separate, were developed somewhat independently, usually by different organizations. In recent years, the maturing of the gas turbine power plant and the advance in high-speed airframes have rendered this separation somewhat artificial. The power plant and the airframe now share common structural and aerodynamic elements; as the flight Mach number rises, the degree of interaction increases. By the year 2000, this interdependence will have increased in many respects to a point where independent design may not be practical or possible. During the period since the initiation of the aircraft gas turbine, the solid propellant rocket and the liquid propellant rocket, a vast array of other novel engines have been studied, covering the full spectrum of flight conditions from low subsonic to hypersonic and transatmospheric flight. In each instance, performance limits have been investigated under the assumption that current technology or reasonably foreseeable technology would be available for their development. Among the extensive list of advanced, high-performance concepts and cycles examined are the hypersonic ramjet, the variable cycle, runway-to-orbit airbreathing engine, the ram rocket (airbreathing and rich solid propellant rocket), and the air turborocket. At various times, these systems have come relatively close to meriting development and application. In many instances, limitations of materials and technologies curtailed development. As important and with almost equal frequency, the lack of commercial or military utility of the concept precluded the necessary funding. It is instructive to note that two former items on this list, the turbofan (bypass engine) and the high-speed turboprop, are respectively a mainstay engine and a promising development. In the case of the turbofan, its full potential could not be realized until turbine cooling technology had been developed and new materials developed to permit the construction of transonic fans. In the case of the highspeed turbopropeller engine, not only were the material and turbine technologies needed, but, in addition, the rise in fuel costs provided the impetus to take advantage of its favorable fuel consumption characteristic. As the basic technologies progress and as new missions become attractive, the engines in the foregoing list become candidates for new feasibility studies and further technology development. At the present time, the ram rocket is the prime contender to augment the range of small missiles. Of interest also is the hypersonic ram jet and its logical extension, the runway-to-orbit airbreathing engine. Much of this report deals with the development of current or near-future power plant concepts. First, the motivating factors for aeronautical propulsion research are reviewed as a reminder of the importance of continued effort in a field that has often been characterized as mature. Next, technical areas are discussed in which the panel feels additional research effort is warranted and would lead to the realization of the technological potentials between now and the year 2000. Under these guidelines, new cycles (e.g., isothermal energy exchange) were not considered by the panel. Finally, although facility requirements were not a prime consideration in the current projections, the panel believes that the increasing complexity of propulsion systems; the need for more refined interaction between propulsion system, airframe, and controls; and increasing operation in adverse weather will require test capabilities beyond those now available (see appendix). Enhanced test capability is needed in the areas of propulsion airframe integration and in largescale icing research with proper concurrent treatment of altitude, temperature, and speed.

Description: Results of flow visualization experiments and measurements of the temperature field produced by a single jet and a row of dilution jets issued into a reverse flow combustor are presented. The flow in such combustors is typified by transverse and longitudinal acceleration during the passage through its bending section. The flow visualization experiments were designed to examine the separate effects of longitudinal and transverse acceleration on the jet trajectory and spreading rate. A model describing a dense single jet in a lighter accelerating cross flow is developed. The model is based on integral conservation equations, including the pressure terms appropriate to accelerating flows. It uses a modified entrainment correlation obtained from previous experiments of a jet in a cross stream. The flow visualization results are compared with the model calculations in terms of trajectories and spreading rates. Each experiment is typified by a set of three parameters: momentum ratio, density ratio, and the densimetric Froude number. When injection velocities are large or densities are small, the Froude number becomes very large and hence, unimportant. Therefore, the Froude number is generally significant in describing liquid experiments but is unimportant for the gas experiments in the combustor. Agreement between test and calculated results is encouraging but tends to become poorer with increasing momentum ratio. The temperature measurements are presented primarily in the form of consecutive normalized temperature profiles. Some interpolated isothermal contours are also shown. The single jet trajectories are consistently found to be swept towards the inner wall of the bend, whether injection is from the outer or the inner wall. This behavior is explained by a drifting effect which consists of a transverse velocity component across the combustor due to the developing nature of the flow along it. Plots of lateral temperature distributions of the jet indicate that under longitudinal acceleration conditions the thermal spreading of the jet may be completely suppressed. Comparison between combustor experimental results and model calculations shows poor agreement due to the drifting effect which is not taken into consideration in the model calculations. The row of jets experiments are characterized by two additional parameters: spacing ratio and confinement parameter. The results are shown in the form of consecutive normalized temperature profiles. The confinement parameter appears to become increasingly important with decreasing spacing ratio, in particular when its effect is enhanced by the drifting phenomenon and associated pressure field. A tightly spaced row of jets injected from the inner wall, prior to the bend, is surprisingly kept attached to the inner wall in spite of the strong turning. A similar attachment for a jet injected from the outer wall is not observed.

Description: AiResearch Manufacturing Company, a division of the Garrett Corporation, is engaged in manufacturing a broad variety of products of the aerospace, energy, metals, transit, and marine industries. Products such as fuel controls and rotating accessories for gas turbines are produced by another Garrett division. Computerized analysis is employed to determine how well proposed seals will stand up to stress. For such analysis, AiResearch uses a computer program supplied by COSMIC known as VISCEL. Program saves engineers time in development of software and contributes to improved efficiency in seal analysis.

Description: A literature survey was conducted to determine the relation between aircraft ignition sources and inflammables. Available literature applicable to the problem of aircraft fire hazards is analyzed and, discussed herein. Data pertaining to the effect of many variables on ignition temperatures, minimum ignition pressures, and minimum spark-ignition energies of inflammables, quenching distances of electrode configurations, and size of openings incapable of flame propagation are presented and discussed. The ignition temperatures and the limits of inflammability of gasoline in air in different test environments, and the minimum ignition pressure and the minimum size of openings for flame propagation of gasoline - air mixtures are included. Inerting of gasoline - air mixtures is discussed.

Description: As part of a general investigation of propellers at high forward speeds, tests of two 2-blade propellers having the NACA 4-(3)(8)-03 and NACA 4-(3)(8)-45 blade designs have been made in the Langley 8-foot high-speed tunnel through a range of blade angle from 20 degrees to 60 degrees for forward Mach numbers from 0.165 to 0.725 to establish in detail the changes in propeller characteristics due to compressibility effects. These propellers differed primarily only in blade solidity, one propeller having 50 percent and more solidity than the other. Serious losses in propeller efficiency were found as the propeller tip Mach number exceeded 0.91, irrespective of forward speed or blade angle. The magnitude of the efficiency losses varied from 9 percent to 22 percent per 0.1 increase in tip Mach number above the critical value. The range of advance ratio for peak efficiency decreased markedly with increase of forward speed. The general form of the changes in thrust and power coefficients was found to be similar to the changes in airfoil lift coefficient with changes in Mach number. Efficiency losses due to compressibility effects decreased with increase of blade width. The results indicated that the high level of propeller efficiency obtained at low speeds could be maintained to forward sea-level speeds exceeding 500 miles per hour.

Description: An investigation has been made to explore the possibilities of axial-flow compressors operating with supersonic velocities into the blade rows. Preliminary calculations showed that very high pressure ratios across a stage, together with somewhat increased mass flows, were apparently possible with compressors which decelerated air through the speed of sound in their blading. The first phase of the investigation was the development of efficient supersonic diffusers to decelerate air through the speed of sound. The present report is largely a general discussion of some of the essential aerodynamics of single-stage supersonic axial-flow compressors. As an approach to the study of supersonic compressors, three possible velocity diagrams are discussed briefly. Because of the encouraging results of this study, an experimental single-stage supersonic compressor has been constructed and tested in Freon-12. In this compressor, air decelerates through the speed of sound in the rotor blading and enters the stators at subsonic speeds. A pressure ratio of about 1.8 at an efficiency of about 80 percent has been obtained.

Description: Contents: Preliminary notes on the efficiency of propulsion systems; Part I: Propulsion systems with direct axial reaction rockets and rockets with thrust augmentation; Part II: Helicoidal reaction propulsion systems; Appendix I: Steady flow of viscous gases; Appendix II: On the theory of viscous fluids in nozzles; and Appendix III: On the thrusts augmenters, and particularly of gas augmenters

Description: An investigation was conducted to determine the effects of water injection on the over-all performance of a modified J33-A-27 turbojet-engine compressor at the design equivalent speed of 11,800 rpm. The water-air ratio by weight was 0.05. With water injection the peak pressure ratio increased 9.0 per- cent, the maximum efficiency decreased 15 percent (actual numerical difference 0.12), and. the maximum total weight flow increased 9.3 percent.

Description: The compressor from the XT-46 turbine-propeller engine was revised by removing the last two rows of stator blades and by eliminating the interstage leakage paths described in a previous report. With the revised compressor, the flow choking point shifted upstream into the last rotor-blade row but the maximum weight flow was not increased over that of the original compressor. The flow range of the revised compressor was reduced to about two-thirds that obtained with the original compressor. The later stages of the compressor did not produce the design static-pressure increase probably because of excessive boundary-layer build-up in this region. Measurements obtained in the ninth-stage stator showed that the performance up to this station was promising but that the last three stages of the compressor were limiting the useful operating range of the preceding stages. Some modifications in flow-passage geometry and blade settings are believed to be necessary, however, before any major improvements in over-all compressor performance can be obtained.

Description: The power plant from a Mark 25 aerial torpedo was investigated both as a two-stage turbine and as a single-stage modified turbine to determine the effect on overall performance of nozzle size and shape, first-stage rotor-blade configuration, and axial nozzle-rotor running clearance. Performance was evaluated in terms of brake, rotor, and blade efficiencies. All the performance data were obtained for inlet total to outlet static pressure ratios of 8, 15 (design), and 20 with inlet conditions maintained constant at 95 pounds per square inch gage and 1000 F for rotor speeds from approximately 6000 to 18,000 rpm.

Description: Performance data obtained with recording oscillographs are presented to show the transient response of the General Electric Integrated Electronic Control operating on the J47 RXl-3 turbo-Jet engine over a range of altitudes from 10,000 to 45,000 feet and at ram pressure ratios of 1.03 and 1.4. These data represent the performance of the final control configuration developed after an investigation of the engine transient behavior in the NACA altitude wind tunnel. Oscillograph traces of controlled accelerations (throttle bursts),oontrolled decelerations (throttle chops), and controlled altitude starts are presented.

Description: A modified J33-A-27 compressor was operated over a range of equivalent impeller speeds from 6100 to 13,250 rpm in order to obtain the over-all compressor performance. At the equivalent design speed of 11,800 rpm, the maximum efficiency of 0.764 and peak pressure ratio of 4.56 occurred at an equivalent weight flow of 104.07 pounds per second. At the highest equivalent speed (13,250 rpm) a maximum efficiency of 0.711, a maximum equivalent weight flow of 123.00 pounds per second, and a peak pressure ratio of 5.76 were obtained.

Description: An investigation is being conducted to determine the performance of the 12-stage axial-flow compressor of the XT-46 turbine-propeller engine. This compressor was designed to produce a pressure ratio of 9 at an adiabatic efficiency of 0.86. The design pressure ratios per stage were considerably greater than any employed in current aircraft gas-turbine engines using this type of compressor. The compressor performance was evaluated at two stations. The station near the entrance section of the combustors indicated a peak pressure ratio of 6.3 at an adiabatic efficiency of 0.63 for a corrected weight flow of 23.1 pounds per second. The other, located one blade-chord downstream of the last stator row, indicated a peak pressure ratio of 6.97 at an adiabatic efficiency of 0.81 for a corrected weight flow of 30.4 pounds per second. The difference in performance obtained at the two stations is attributed to shock waves in the vicinity of the last stator row. These shock waves and the accompanying flow choking, together with interstage circulatory flows, shift the compressor operating curves into the region where surge would normally occur. The inability of the compressor to meet design pressure ratio is probably due to boundary-layer buildup in the last stages, which cause axial velocities greater than design values that, in turn, adversely affect the angles of attack and turning angles in these blade rows.