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Tail Buffeting
"An approximate theory of buffeting is here presented, based on the assumption of harmonic disturbing forces. Two cases of buffeting are considered: namely, for a tail angle of attack greater and less than the stalling angle, respectively. On the basis of the tests conducted and the results of foreign investigators, a general analysis is given of the nature of the forced vibrations the possible load limits on the tail, and the methods of elimination of buffeting" (p. 1).
The Theory of a Free Jet of a Compressible Gas
"In the present report the theory of free turbulence propagation and the boundary layer theory are developed for a plane-parallel free stream of a compressible fluid. In constructing the theory use was made of the turbulence hypothesis by Taylor (transport of vorticity) which gives best agreement with test results for problems involving heat transfer in free jets" (p. 1).
Air forces on airfoils moving faster than sound
We are undertaking the task of computing the air forces on a slightly cambered airfoil in the absence of friction and with an infinite aspect ratio. We also assume in advance that the leading edge is very sharp and that its tangent lies in the direction of motion.
Drag measurements of two thin wing sections at different index values
It is stated that the index value 6000, as found in normal tests of wing sections with a 20 cm chord, falls in the same region where the transition of laminar to turbulent flow takes place on thin flat plates. It is to be expected that slightly cambered, thin wing sections will behave similarly. The following test of two such wing sections were made for the purpose of verifying this supposition.
Experimental and Theoretical Investigations of Cavitation in Water
"The cavitation in nozzles on airfoils of various shape and on a sphere are experimentally investigated. The limits of cavitation and the extension of the zone of the bubbles in different stages of cavitation are photographically established. The pressure in the bubble area is constant and very low, jumping to high values at the end of the area. The analogy with the gas compression shock is adduced and discussed" (p. 1).
Experiments on airfoils with trailing edge cut away
"Airfoils with their trailing edge cut away are often found on aircraft, as the fins on the hulls of flying boats and the central section of the wings for affording better visibility. It was therefore of some interest to discover the effect of such cutaways on the lift and drag and on the position of the center of pressure. For this purpose, systematic experiments were performed on two different airfoils, a symmetrical airfoil and an airfoil of medium thickness, with successive shortenings of their chords" (p. 1).
High-speed wind tunnels
Wind tunnel construction and design is discussed especially in relation to subsonic and supersonic speeds. Reynolds Numbers and the theory of compressible flows are also taken into consideration in designing new tunnels.
Present and future problems of airplane propulsion
Some of the problems considered in this report include: thermodynamics of surface friction, application of thick wing sections, special applications of controllable propellers, and gas turbines for aircraft.
Recent experiments at the Gottingen Aerodynamic Institute
This report presents the results of various experiments carried out at the Gottingen Aerodynamic Institute. These include: experiments with Joukowski wing profiles; experiments on an airplane model with a built-in motor and functioning propeller; and the rotating cylinder (Magnus Effect).
Removing boundary layer by suction
"Through the utilization of the "Magnus effect" on the Flettner rotor ship, the attention of the public has been directed to the underlying physical principle. It has been found that the Prandtl boundary-layer theory furnishes a satisfactory explanation of the observed phenomena. The present article deals with the prevention of this separation or detachment of the flow by drawing the boundary layer into the inside of a body through a slot or slots in its surface" (p. 1).
Aerodynamic Heat-Power Engine Operating on a Closed Cycle
"Hot-air engines with dynamic compressors and turbines offer new prospects of success through utilization of units of high efficiencies and through the employment of modern materials of great strength at high temperature. Particular consideration is given to an aerodynamic prime mover operating on a closed circuit and heated externally. Increase of the pressure level of the circulating air permits a great increase of limit load of the unit. This also affords a possibility of regulation for which the internal efficiency of the unit changes but slightly. The effect of pressure and temperature losses is investigated" (p. 1).
Experiments With an Airfoil From Which the Boundary Layer Is Removed by Suction
"Our attempts to improve the properties of airfoils by removing the boundary layer by suction, go back to 1922. The object of the suction is chiefly to prevent the detachment of the boundary layer from the surface of the airfoil. At large angles of attack, such detachment prevents the attainment of the great lift promised by the theory, besides greatly increasing the drag, especially of thick airfoils. This report gives results of those experiments" (p. 1).
Investigations of Compression Shocks and Boundary Layers in Gases Moving at High Speed
The mutual influences of compression shocks and friction boundary layers were investigated by means of high speed wind tunnels.Schlieren optics provided a clear picture of the flow phenomena and were used for determining the location of the compression shocks, measurement of shock angles, and also for Mach angles. Pressure measurement and humidity measurements were also taken into consideration.Results along with a mathematical model are described.
Investigations on Wings With and Without Sweepback at High Subsonic Speeds
Drag tests at zero lift have been made at Mach numbers from 0.7 to approximately 0.95 in the high speed wind tunnel of the Institute of Aerodynamics, ETH, Zurich, on a group of untapered wings of aspect ratio 3.25, having sweep angles of 0 degree and 35 degrees. For each sweep angle, a series of geometrically similar models was tested at a constant Reynolds number to provide a verification of computed tunnel blocking corrections. Tests were also made for wings having thickness ratios of 0.09 and 0.12 and the results compared with results predicted by von Karman's similarity law.
The Theories of Turbulence
"The theory of turbulence reached its full growth at the end of the 19th century as a result of the work by Boussinesq and Reynolds. It then underwent a long period of stagnation which ended under the impulse given to it by the development of wind tunnels caused by the needs of aviation. Numerous researchers, attempted to put Reynolds' elementary statistical theory into a more precise form. During the war, some isolated scientists - von Weizsacker and Heisenberg in Germany, Kolmogoroff in Russia, Onsager in the U.S.A. - started a program of research. By a system of assumptions which make it possible to approach the structure of turbulence in well-defined limiting conditions quantitatively, they obtained a certain number of laws on the correlations and the spectrum. Since the late reports have improved the mathematical language of turbulence, it was deemed advisable to start with a detailed account of the mathematical methods applicable to turbulence, inspired at first by the work of the French school, above all for the basic principles, then the work of the foreigners, above all for the theory of the spectrum" (p. 1).
The Magnus Effect in Theory and in Reality
A discussion of the Flettner rotor is presented from a nautical and economic viewpoint, and although it was a failure, the experimental and theoretical inventions cannot be disregarded. The following critical and experimental investigation will show the relations and applicability of the theories and practical applications. The Magnus effect is described in detail and a discussion and critical review of the Magnus effect is included.
Turbulence and Mechanism of Resistance on Spheres and Cylinders
The nature of turbulent flow through pipes and around obstacles is analyzed and illustrated by photographs of turbulence on screens and straighteners. It is shown that the reversal of flow and of the resistance law on spheres is not explainable by Prandtl's turbulence in the boundary layer. The investigation of the analogous phenomena on the cylinder yields a reversal of the total field of flow.
Experimental Determination of Local and Mean Coefficients of Heat Transfer for Turbulent Flow in Pipes
An extensive investigation of the changes of the local and mean heat-transfer coefficients along the pipe length, and some results.
Air Cooling: An Experimental Method of Evaluating the Cooling Effect of Air Streams on Air-Cooled Cylinders
In this report is described an experimental method which the writer has evolved for dealing with air-cooled engines, and some of the data obtained by its means. Methods of temperature measurement and cooling are provided.
Aerodynamic characteristics of the X-15/B-52 combination
Report presenting an investigation to determine the carry loads and mutual aerodynamic interference effects from high-speed wind-tunnel tests and the drop characteristics of the X-15 through the B-52 flow field from low-speed dynamic-model drop tests and six-degree-of-freedom calculations. The X-15 installation was found to increase drag at cruise conditions by approximately 15 percent.
Combustion of Liquid Fuels in Diesel Engine
Hitherto, definite specifications have always been made for fuel oils and they have been classified as more or less good or non-utilizable. The present aim, however, is to build Diesel engines capable of using even the poorest liquid fuels and especially the waste products of the oil industry, without special chemical or physical preparation.
On the Calculation of Shallow Shells
This paper considers a sufficiently thin shallow shell of nonzero Gaussian curvature. It also presents a system of symmetrically constructed differential equations, constructed by the mixed method through the stress function and the displpacement function.
On the Theory of Anisotropic Shallow Shells
A numerical analysis of thin-walled shallow shells is presented. Equations of equilibrium and relations between deformations and stresses are included along with fundamental differential equations.
Calculation of Tapered Monoplane Wings
The tapered wing shape increases the lift in the middle of the wing and thus reduces the bending moment of the lifting forces in the plane of symmetry. Since this portion of the wing is the thickest, the stresses of the wing material are reduced and desirable space is provided for stowing the loads in the wing. This statically excellent form of construction, however, has aerodynamic disadvantages which must be carefully weighed, if failures are to be avoided. This treatise is devoted to the consideration of these problems.
Airplane Stability in Taxying
The stability analysis of an airplane while rolling is much more simplified to the extent that it can be obtained for numerical data which can be put to practical use in the design of landing gear dimensions. Every landing gear type attains to a critical ground friction coefficient that decides the beginning of instability, i.e., nosing over. This study has, in addition, a certain interest for the use of wheel brakes.
Experiments on Autorotation
This article deals principally with Professor Bairstow's experiments on autorotation, in which the wing is free to rotate about an axis in its plane of symmetry, which axis is parallel with the direction of the wind.
Formation of a Vortex at the Edge of a Plate
The flow about the plate of infinite width may be represented as a potential flow with discontinuity surfaces which extend from the plate edges. On the basis of a similitude requirement one succeeds in finding a solution of this problem for the plate of infinite width which is correct for the very beginning of the motion of the fluid. Starting from this solution, the further development of the vortex distribution and shape of the surface are observed in the case of a plate of finite width.
The Stresses in Columns Under Combined Axial and Side Loads
The problem before us is to determine the total stresses in an axially loaded column of any degree of restraint which is also subject to transverse bending both from a uniformly distributed load and from concentrated loads. The solution of this problem is of special importance in the design of aircraft which consist of slender columns" (p. 1).
Investigation of Certain Wing Shapes With Sections Varying Progressively Along the Span
This investigation has a double object: 1) the calculation of the general characteristics of certain wings with progressively varying sections; 2) the determination of data furnishing, in certain cases, some information on the actual distribution of the external forces acting on a wing. We shall try to show certain advantages belonging to the few wing types of variable section which we shall study and that, even if the general aerodynamic coefficients of these wings are not often clearly superior to those of certain wings of uniform section, the wings of variable section nevertheless have certain advantages over those of uniform section in the distribution of the attainable stresses.
Some Principles Governing the Establishment of Meteorological Stations Along Air Routes
The organization of a meteorological service for an air route involves the solution of two distinct problems: distribution and grouping of meteorological stations and communications. Experience gained in the establishment of two lines, Paris-Warsaw and Constantinople-Bucharest enables us to establish certain principles, which may be of interest to note here.
Variable Pitch Propellers
In this report are described four different types of propellers which appeared at widely separated dates, but which were exhibited together at the last Salon de l'Aeronautique. The four propellers are the Chaviere variable pitch propeller, the variable pitch propeller used on the Clement Bayard dirigible, the variable pitch propeller used on Italian dirigibles, and the Levasseur variable pitch propeller.
The "Universal" Adjustable and Reversible Propeller Built by Paragon Engineers, Inc., Baltimore, MD
"A device which does for the aircraft what change speed gears do for the automobile is the invention of Spencer Heath. It comprises a system of special blades and a mechanism for varying the pitch of the blades from zero to 360 degrees, while in flight or otherwise. By adjusting the pitch, either before starting or while the engine is running, to a less than normal angle, the engine is allowed to pick up speed and deliver its maximum power which is necessary in taking-off with a heavier load than the same airplane could otherwise normally carry" (p. 1).
The "Universal Propeller": Built by Paragon Engineers, Inc., Baltimore, MD.
At the request of the N.A.C.A. the "Universal Propeller" was operated and explained by the inventor, Mr. Spencer Heath, for the purpose of demonstrating the following features of design: 1) Elimination of continuously running gears, collars or bearings in the pitch control mechanism; 2) The use of engine power in place of manual labor in changing blade angle; 3) The absence of any structural limitation to the range of blade angles available and the possibility of limiting the blade travel between any two predetermined extreme positions; 4) Continuous indication on the instrument board of the blade position; 5) Automatic throttling of the engine while the propeller is passing through the position of neutral pitch.
Measurements on a Low-Wing Model in the Rotating Jet and Comparison With Flight Measurements
The present report deals with six-component measurements in the small tunnel of the DVL on a model of the BFW-M 27b(sub 1), which were made to determine the effect of rolling and yawing on the air forces and moments. The wind was given a spiral motion by means of a rotating screen, the model being suspended in the conventional manner. The lack of accuracy in the measurement of the rolling-yawing moments was very noticeable.
Factors of Safety and Indexes of Static Tests
The physical resistance of passengers in establishing an upper limit to the strength of airplane cells is examined and arguments and experiments are discussed.
Evolution of the Helicopter
Report presenting an investigation of problems related to helicopters. Also included are the history of the evolution of the helicopter and a series of propeller experiments.
Atmospheric Waves and Their Utilization in Soaring Flight
In soaring flight, ascending air currents are utilized and the interesting question is raised whether there are such currents which extend to any considerable distance and which can be utilized practically.
Stability of Rectangular Plates With Longitudinal or Transverse Stiffeners Under Uniform Compression
In the present paper, the complete buckling conditions of stiffened plates are being developed for uniform compression. We shall treat plates with one or two longitudinal or transverse stiffeners at any point, discuss the buckling conditions, and evaluate them for different cases.
Theoretical and Experimental Investigations of the Drag of Installed Aircraft Radiators
The present report proposes the determination of the absolute magnitude of the total radiator drag and, in addition, of the different causes of the radiator drag.
Contribution to the Design and Calculation of Fuel Cams and Fuel Valves for Diesel Engines
In this work I have attempted to find a basis for the design of fuel cams, which will serve equally for large and small engines, both high-speed and low-speed.
Strength Calculations on Airplanes
"Every strength calculation, including those on airplanes, must be preceded by a determination of the forces to be taken into account. In the following discussion, it will be assumed that the magnitudes of these forces are known and that it is only a question of how, on the basis of these known forces, to meet the prescribed conditions on the one hand and the practical requirements on the other" (p. 1).
Duralumin, Its Properties and Uses
A historical sketch of duralumin is presented, especially in regards to its manufacture by various countries. The properties of duralumin are discussed and strength characteristics listed. Increasing the hardness of duralumin by tempering is discussed as well as the uses of the metal.
Engine Pistons of Light Metal
This report presents the results of testing 32 sets of light metal pistons from 16 different aluminum and magnesium alloys, 2 sets of cast iron pistons, and one piston of pure electrolytic copper. The many-fold mutual relations between material properties, shape, thermic and dynamic processes in the engine were clarified by comprehensive technical, thermic, chemical, physical and metallographic investigations of pistons and piston materials.
Impact Waves and Detonation: Part 1
"Among the numerous thermodynamic and kinetic problems that have arisen in the application of the gaseous explosive reaction as a source of power in the internal combustion engine, the problem of the mode or way by which the transformation proceeds and the rate at which the heat energy is delivered to the working fluid became very early in the engine's development a problem of prime importance. The work of Becker here given is a notable extension of earlier investigations, because it covers the entire range of the explosive reaction in gases - normal detonation and burning" (p. i).
Impact Waves and Detonation: Part 2
A continuation of a previous technical memorandum regarding impact waves and detonation. This particular report focuses on the applications to detonation under several different conditions, including variations in pressure.
Kinetic Treatment of the Nucleation in Supersaturated Vapors
The equations of the individual processes of self nucleation are utilized through an electrical analogy to obtain the nucleation frequency. This process is shown to be shorter and less subject to error than that of previous investigators since the appearance of indeterminant integration constants is completely avoided. With the nucleation frequencies of crystals and spheres the Ostwald law of stages is reviewed and modified.
The Flight of an Autogiro at High Speed
This report presents a method for computing the flight performance of an autogiro at high speed, the velocity component along the blades being accounted for by calculation of the profile drag and the equation for zero torque.
Vertical Descent of the Autogiro
The purpose of this report is to show that only part of the system of rotating blades really is in the "windmill decelerating attitude" when the profile drag is sufficiently low. This particular part receives more torque from the air loads than can be absorbed by the profile drag. As a result thereof the rotating autogiro blade, when its torque is zero, is in part a propeller which functions in the "annular vortex attitude.".
Designing Seaplane Hulls and Floats
Experimental data, such as the results of tank tests of models, render it possible to predict, at least in principle, as to how a hull or float of a given shape will comport itself. We will see further along, however, how uncertain these methods are and how they leave room for empiricism, which will reign for a long time yet in seaplane research bureaus.
On the Buckling of Bars and Plates in the Plastic Range: Part 2
A review is made of existing literature concerning comparison with experiment of various theoretical formulas for buckling of plates in the plastic region. The significance and relative merits of various theories are discussed.
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