Mechanical Engineering Commons^™

Interaction Of A Two-Dimensional Transverse Jet With A Supersonic Mainstream, Gilbert Otto Kraemer

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

A experimental investigation of the interaction of a twodimensional sonic jet injected transversely into a confined main flow has been conducted. The main flow consisted of air at a Mach number of 2.9. The effects of varying the jet parameters on the flow field were examined using surface pressure and composition data. Also, the downstream flow field was examined using static pressure, pitot pressure, and composition profile data. The jet parameters varied were gapwidth, jet static pressure, and injectant species of either helium or nitrogen. The values of the jet parameters used were 0.039, 0.056,and 0.109 cm for the gapwidth …

Calculation Of Potential Flow Past Non-Lifting Bodies At Angle Of Attack Using Axial And Surface Singularity Methods, Jin-Yea Shu

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Two different singularity methods have been utilized to calculate the potential flow past a three dimensional non-lifting body. Two separate FORTRAN computer programs have been developed to implement these theoretical models, which will in the future allow inclusion of the fuselage effect in a pair of existing subcritical wing design computer programs.

The first method uses higher order axial singularity distributions to model axisymmetric bodies of revolution in an either axial or inclined uniform potential flow. Use of inset of the singularity line away from the body for blunt noses, and cosine-type element distributions have been applied to obtain the …

Improved Finite Element Methodology For Integrated Thermal-Structural Analysis, Pramote Dechaumphai

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

An integrated thermal-structural finite element approach for efficient coupling of thermal and structural analysis is presented. New thermal finite elements which yield exact nodal and element temperatures for one-dimensional linear steady-state heat transfer problems are developed. A nodeless variable formulation is used to establish improved thermal finite elements for one-dimensional nonlinear transient and two-dimensional linear transient heat transfer problems. The thermal finite elements provide detailed temperature distributions without using additional element nodes and permit a common discretization with lower order congruent structural finite elements. The accuracy of the integrated approach is evaluated by comparisons with analytical solutions and conventional finite …

Experimental Investigation Of A Direct Expansion Solar-Assisted Heat Pump, James Yau-Jwo Shen

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

A direct expansion solar-assisted heat pump, which uses economical bare solar collectors as evaporator, is designed and operated. The experimental results indicate that marked improvement in thermal performance results if the collector/ evaporator temperature is maintained at o0c to 10°c above the ambient temperature. During the course of this investigation, the system thermal performance is determined under various ambient and operating conditions by measuring the incident solar energy flux, refrigerant flow rate, temperature and pressure at various locations in the system. The heat pump coefficient of thermal performance and solar collector efficiency ranging from 2.0 to 3.0 and 40% to …

Experimental Investigation Of A Rectangular Surface Thermal Plume, Li-Cheng Chu

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

An experimental investigation of the three dimensional mean temperature distribution of a rectangular buoyant surface thermal plume has been conducted for a range of buoyancies, velocity ratios, Reynolds numbers, and for various turbulence generating screens in the crossflow. This study has been motivated by a concern about the applicability of laboratory model data for predicting prototype plume behavior.

A large scale model has been built to study a buoyant, rectangular surface thermal plume which enters at right angles to a constant temperature uniform crossflow of depth equal to that of the plume. A large water tank and flume with weir …

Analysis Of Aerothermodynamic Environment Of A Titan Aerocapture Vehicle, Hsing Chow

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The extent of convective and rad1ative heating for a Titan entry vehicle is invest1gated. The flow in the shock layer is assumed to be axisymmtric, steady, viscous, and compressible. It is further assumed that the gas is in chemical and local thermodynamic equilibrium and tangent slab approximation is used for the rad1ative transport. The effect of slip boundary conditions on the body surface and at the shock wave are included in the analysis of high altitude entry conditions. The implicit finite difference technique is used to .solve the viscous shock layer equations for a 45-degree sphere cone at zero angle …

Design And Analysis Of A Hybrid Thermoelectric Solar Collector, Kay Eddie Shaheen

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

A conventional flat-plate collector is modified by imbedding thermoelectric power generators between the absorber plate and flow tubes in parallel finned-tube passes. As solar energy cascades through these generators a temperature differential between the hot and cold junctions of the device produces direct current electricity. Energy not converted to electric power is converted away for use in domestic space and/or water heating.

A parametric study is performed on the steady-state model via computer program in order to find values of design variables that maximize electric power production for purposes of driving pumps, fans, and ·controlling devices. The results of this …

Photoelastic Investigation Of Load Transfer In Eccentrically Loaded Single Lap Joints, Stephen Antrim Hann

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Photoelastic models of three eccentrically loaded single lap joints were analyzed. The adherends of each joint were identical and the bondlines differed in thickness and material properties. The adherends were analyzed for both cylindrical plate behavior and geometrical nonlinearity and the load transfer efficiency was examined. For all three models it was found that over 98% of the shank behaves as a cylindrical plate and that a geometrically nonlinear analysis yields bending stresses substantially lower than a linear analysis and that a relatively thick, low modulus bondline can increase load transfer efficiency.

Effects Of Multiple Scattering And Surface Albedo On The Photochemistry Of The Troposphere, Tommy Reinhold Robert Augustsson

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

A one-dimensional photochemical model of the troposphere containing the species of the nitrogen, oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, and sulfur families has been developed and used to investigate the vertical profiles and the natural (including atmospheric chemical reactions) and anthropogenic sources and sinks of these species. The species continuity equations are solved numerically applying prescribed boundary conditions. The vertical flux is simulated by use of the parameterized eddy diffusion coefficients. Heterogeneous losses (e.g. rainout, gas-to-particle chemistry, and dry deposition), are parameterized to make calculated profiles consistent with measurements. The photochemical model is coupled to a radiative transfer model that calculates the radiation …

Sound Absorption In N2-H2o Gas Mixtures At Room Temperature And Low Frequency/Pressure Ratios, William Axam Griffin

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This study was motivated by a need to obtain standard values of nitrogen's contribution to sound absorption in the Earth's atmosphere. Specific goals included accurate measurements of sound absorption in nitrogen - water vapor mixtures at room temperature and low frequency/pressure ratios, the determination of the N₂ vibrational relaxation peak location, (f/P)_max, on the f/P axis as a function of humidity, h, and critical evaluation of all results.

The free decay technique was used in a resonance tube to obtain ten sets of sound absorption data in N₂-H₂O gas mixtures and requisite companion …

Thermodynamic And System Performance Analysis Of A Heat Pump That Employs A Two-Phase Flow Collector As Evaporator, Yu-Fang Chiang

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

A thermodynamic model is developed to analyze the thermal performance of two phase flow solar collectors, The well-known equilibrium homogeneous theory is used to model the two phase flow in the solar collectors. The resultant set of coupled ordinary differential equations for saturated pressure and quality of working fluids in the collector tubes are solved by an iterative procedure using a fourth order Runge-Kutta method. The results are then applied to determine the thermal performance of a solar assisted heat pump which uses two phase flow collector as the evaporator, The results indicate that even with the use of less …

Feasibility Of Quasi-Random Band Model In Evaluating Atmospheric Radiance, Navin Mirakhur

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The use of the quasi-random band model in evaluating the upwelling atmospheric radiation is investigated. The spectral transmittance and total band absorptance are evaluated for selected molecular bands by using the line-by-line model, quasi-random band model, exponential sum fit method, and empirical correlations, and these are compared with the available experimental results. The atmospheric transmittance and up­ welling radiance have been calculated by using the line-by-line and quasi-random models and are compared with the results of an existing program called LOWTRAN. The results obtained by the exponential sum fit and empirical relations are not in good agreement with experimental results …

Natural Convection In Shallow Inclined Enclosures, Effendy Arif

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

A two dimensional natural convective flow in a shallow inclined enclosure has been considered. A mathematical model has been developed to simulate the flow. The system of governing equations has been solved using finite-differencing techniques and the alternating direction implicit method.

The effect of the Raleigh number, the enclosure aspect ratio and orientation on the heat transfer and flow development have been studied by determining the Nusselt numbers and analyzing a number of contour maps of temperature and stream function fields, and velocity profiles. The Nusselt number has been found to increase with the Raleigh number, the enclosure aspect ratio, …

Analytic And Experimental Studies Of A True Airspeed Sensor, Joseph Yao-Cheng Shen

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The objective of this study was to analyze and design a true airspeed sensor which will replace the conventional pitot-static pressure transducer. This sensor should have the following characteristics: the flow phenomenon is vortex procession, or the "vortex whistle", it should have no moving parts, and also is to be independent of temperature, density, altitude or humidity changes. This sensor has been designed mainly for small commercial aircraft with the airspeed up to 321.9 km/hr (200 mph).

In an attempt to model the complicated fluid mechanics of the vortex precession, three-dimensional, inviscid, unsteady, incompressible fluid flow was studied by using …

Influence Of Nonequilibrium Radiation And Shape Change On The Flowfield Of A Jupiter Probe With Ablation And Mass Injection, Sundaresa Venkata Subramanian

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The influence of nonequilibrium radiative energy transfer and the effect of probe configuration changes on the flow phenomena around a Jovian entry body is investigated. The radiating shock-layer flow is assumed to be axisymmetric, viscous, laminar and in chemical equilibrium. The radiative transfer equations are derived under nonequilibrium conditions which include multi-level energy transitions. The equilibrium radiative transfer is calculated with an existing nongray radiation model which accounts for molecular band, atomic line and continuum transitions. The nonequilibrium results are obtained with and without ablation injection in the shock layer. The nonequilibrium results are found to be influenced greatly by …

Finite Element Model Of A Timoshenko Beam With Structural Damping, Louis Ablen Roussos

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

A numerical integration technique, a modified version of the Newmark method, is applied to transient motion problems of systems with mass, stiffness, and small nonlinear damping. The nonlinearity is cast as a pseudo-force to avoid repeated recalculation and decomposition of the effective stiffness matrix; thus, the solution technique is dubbed the "pseudo-force Newmark method." Comparisons with exact and perturbation solutions in single-degree-of-freedom problems and with a Gear-method numerical solution in a cantilevered Timoshenko beam finite element problem show the solution technique to be efficient, accurate, and, thus, feasible provided the nonlinear damping is small. As a preliminary step into the …

Curing And Flow Of Thermosetting Resins For Composite Materials Pultrusion, Howard L. Price Jr.

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Fibrous composite materials for mechanical and structural applications often are expensive due to high labor costs. One economical way of making composites is pultrusion, a manufacturing process in which resin-impregnated fibers are pulled at a constant speed through a heated die which shapes the resin-fiber mass and cures the resin. Most of the work which has been done on the process has been of an empirical nature, with limited understanding of the process principles. Most of the experience with pultrusion has been gained with polyester resins and glass fibers. Very little experience has been gained with higher performance, more costly …

Effect Of Precursor Heating On Radiating And Chemically Reacting Viscous Flow Around A Jovian Entry Body, Kuo Yen Szema

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The influence of changes in the precursor region flow properties (resulting from absorption of the radiation from the shock layer) on the entire shock layer flow phenomena around a Jovian entry body is investigated under physically realistic conditions. In the precursor region, the flow is considered to be inviscid and the variations in flow properties are determined by employing the small perturbation technique as well as the thin layer approximation. The flow in the shock layer is assumed to be steady, axisymmetric and viscous. The analysis is carried out by considering both the chemical equilibrium and nonequilibrium composition of the …

Inviscid Two-Dimensional Vortex-Panel Method For Calculating The Pressure Distribution Over Noncircular Cylinders At Various Flow Incidence Angles, Sophia Kokkinos Ashley

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

A method. has been implemented to calculate the potential flow pressure distribution over noncircular cylinders at various flow incidence angles. The inviscid, solution has been obtained by replacing the surface of a noncircular cylinder with a vortex sheet. The surface has been approximated by a number of flat panels. Each vortex panel has been assumed to have a constant vorticity, and the condition of no-circulation applied.. Solutions yield the local tangential velocity and pressure coefficient at each point.

The accuracy of the method has 'been established through comparison of the predicted results with existing exact theoretical results.

Comparisons of the …

Design, Calibration, And Application Of A Sensor For Measuring Time Dependent Angle Of Attack Of Helicopter Blades, Weiyuan Henry Liu

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Various pressure probes were designed and tested which could be attached to helicopter blades when a helicopter is in flight. The pressure probes consisted of spherical heads which were held in place by cylindrical shanks. Built inside the heads were transducers to measure the pressure differential between pressure ports which were located on the front portion of the spherical head facing the airstream. Data was obtained over a range of airstream velocity of 11,6 to 88.4- m/s (38 to 290 ft/sec), corresponding to Reynolds numbers of 0.24 to 1.84x10⁵ based on the sphere diameter. Both static and dynamic tests …

Analysis Of Moisture Absorption And Diffusion In Fiber Reinforced Polymeric Resin-Matrix Composite Materials, Stephen Stern Tompkins

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The diffusion of moisture through fiber reinforced polymeric-matrix composite materials has been studied analytically. The diffusion in the orthotropic, nonhomogeneous material was modeled, in detail, with a two-dimensional transient diffusion analysis. An effective diffusivity for the composite was determined in terms of the fiber volume fraction and the resin diffusivity. This effective diffusivity is in better agreement with recent data than those previously determined using less complex models.

The influence of both material and environmental parameters on the moisture content of the composite was determined analytically. Predicted moisture contents were compared over a wide range of values for emittance, solar …

Optimal Control Of A Large Space Telescope Using An Annular Momentum Control Device, Arun Anant Nadkarni

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Application of a new development in the field of momentum storage devices, the Annular Momentum Control Device (AMCD), to the twin problems of large angle maneuvers and fine pointing control is considered. The basic concept of the AMCD consists of a spinning rim, with no central hub area, suspended by a minimum of three magnetic bearings, and driven by a noncontacting electromagnetic spin motor. The dissertation considers in detail the design of an optimal controller to achieve both large angle maneuvers and the fine pointing control of a Large Telescope (LST) with a single configuration, consisting of a single AMCD …

Static Temperature Measurements In Supersonic Flow Using Lasar Raman Spectroscopy, Paul A. Nystrom

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Laser Raman spectroscopy is a nonintrusive technique which can generate mean static temperature (MST) data within flow fields. By ratioing two simultaneously gathered portions of the Raman scattered spectrum, absolute intensity measurements were not needed. This method was applied to a supersonic cold air jet, where the NST ranged from 160'K to 300'K. Accurate measurements were not realized due to the presence of flow contaminates, especially water vapor.

Evaluation Of Upwelling Infrared Radiance In A Nonhomogeneous Nonequilibrium Atmosphere, Sundaresa Venkata Subramanian

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of vibrational nonequilibrium upon upwelling infrared radiance from the earth's atmosphere. Basic equations are presented for calculating the atmospheric transmittance, heating rates, and equilibrium and nonequilibrium upwelling radiances. By employing the Lorentz line-by-line model for spectral absorption, heating rates and upwelling radiances were calculated for equilibrium as well ·as nonequilibrium conditions in the spectral range of 4.6 μ CO and 3.3 μ 'CH₄ bands. For the spectral range of CO fundamental band, the influence of different 1~arameters on the upwelling radiance was also investigated. The results indicate that …

Similitude Of Mass Transfer Processes In Distorted Froude Model Of An Estuary, Carvel Hall Blair

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The project began with the design and construction of a hydraulic Froude model of the Lafayette River, a small well mixed estuary in Norfolk, Virginia. Horizontal scale is 1/540, vertical scale 1/12 yielding a vertical distortion of 45. Adjustment by roughness strips and screens produced close agreement of model-prototype tide heights, currents, and salinities in the deep reaches comprising 80% of the estuary volume. Some scale effect in velocity and tide height could not be eliminated in the shallow upper branches of the estuary, probably because of the high geometric distortion and the narrowness of the channel at kilometer 6.7. …

Analysis Of Spread Multi-Jet Vtol Aircraft In Hover, Leroy F. Albang

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

An investigation of VTOL aircraft lift losses in hover has been conducted to evaluate a method for a simplified test technique. Three flat plate models were tested to determine their usefulness in predicting hover characteristics by comparing results between plate and three­ dimensional models. Attempts to correlate the out of ground effect results for the plate models with the empirical expression for calculating jet-induced loads were successful for the models which used engine simulators producing efflux characteristics similar to the three­ dimensional model engines. Data for the model using engine simulators with characteristics unlike those of the three-dimensional model simulators …

Effect Of Rod Gap Spacing On A Suction Panel For Laminar Flow And Noise Control In Supersonic Wind Tunnels, William D. Harvey

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

It has been well established that the test section flow of conventional supersonic and hypersonic wind tunnels contains significant levels of disturbances. These disturbances are mainly caused by the radiation of aerodynamic noise from the turbulent boundary layer on the nozzle walls. This noise level has been shown to have an important effect on boundary layer transition measured on models in tunnels. The purpose of this thesis is to present results of a coordinated experimental and theoretical study of a sound shield concept which aims to provide a means of noise reduction in .the test section of supersonic wind tunnels …

A Method For Improving The Accuracy In Phase Change Heat Transfer Data Through Increased Precision In Thermophysical Property Determinations, John Philip Drummond

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Wind tunnel model materials typically have thermophysical properties that vary with both position and temperature. A numerical study using a finite difference representation of the heat conduction equation has been performed on several of these model materials to determine their thermal response under a specified heat loading. This study has confirmed the feasibility of using an effective thermophysical property to account for the existence of variable thermal properties when a model undergoes aero­ dynamic heating. The effective property, when used in the reduction of phase-change heat transfer data, forced agreement of the actual transient behavior of a model with the …

An Experimental Investigation Of A Cold Jet With Solid Centerbody Emitting From A Flat Plate Into A Subsonic Free Stream, Danny K. Livingston

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

A study of the influence of a solid center body on lift loss and pitching moment has been conducted. It has been well established that a round free jet emitted from a flat plate at right angles to a cross flow causes an induced pressure distribution on the plate which adversely affects the lift and pitching stability of the flat plate.

This investigation has employed a 2.58 - cm diameter round jet with a 1.91 - cm diameter solid rounded core in order to modify the induced flow field and attempt to reduce the lift loss and pitching moment. Preliminary …

The Effect Of Unreinforced Cutouts On The Buckling Of Thin Conical Shells Loaded By Central Axial Compression, Garla Arjuna

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Analytical trends for the linear bifurcation buckling of thin isotropic right-circular-conical shells with unreinforced cutouts are investigated. Clamped, constant-thickness conical shells with homogeneous, isotropical material properties are analyzed for uniform axial compression. The buck­ ling loads are obtained by the use of the STAGS (Structural Analysis of General Shells) computer program which is based on a finite difference numerical approach. Variables defining the geometry of the cutout and the cone are nondimensionalized and the relationship between the nondimensional buckling load and nondimensional cutout parameter is established. A range of the cutout sizes is investigated for which linear bifurcation buckling results …