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Wind-Tunnel Research Comparing Lateral Control Devices, Particularly at High Angles of Attack 3: Ordinary Ailerons Rigged Up 10 Degrees When Neutral

Description: This report presents the results of wind-tunnel tests made on three model wings having different sizes of ordinary ailerons rigged up 10 degrees when neutral, the same models having previously been tested with the ailerons rigged even with the wings in the usual manner. One of the wings had ailerons of medium size, 25 per cent of the wing chord by 40 per cent of the semispan, one had long, narrow ailerons, and one had short, wide ones. These tests are part of a general investigation on lateral … more
Date: February 5, 1932
Creator: Weick, Fred E. & Wenzinger, Carl J.
open access

Wind-tunnel research comparing lateral control devices, particularly at high angles of attack 4: floating tip ailerons on rectangular wings

Description: "This report is the fourth of a series on systematic tests conducted which compares lateral control devices with particular reference to their effectiveness at high angles of attack. The present report covers tests with floating tip ailerons on rectangular Clark y wings. Ailerons of two profiles were tested - symmetrical and Clark y, both with adjustable trailing-edge flaps. Each form was tested at three hinge-axis locations, both with and without vertical end plates between the ailerons and th… more
Date: February 18, 1932
Creator: Weick, Fred E. & Harris, Thomas A.
open access

The effect of nozzle design and operating conditions on the atomization and distribution of fuel sprays

Description: The atomization and distribution characteristics of fuel sprays from automatic injection valves for compression-ignition engines were determined by catching the fuel drops on smoked-glass plates, and then measuring and counting the impressions made in the lampblack. The experiments were made in an air-tight chamber in which the air density was raised to values corresponding to engine conditions.
Date: February 19, 1932
Creator: Lee, Dana W.
open access

The Effect of Humidity on Engine Power at Altitude

Description: "From tests made in the altitude chamber of the Bureau of Standards, it was found that the effect of humidity on engine power is the same at altitudes up to 25,000 feet as at sea level. Earlier tests on automotive engines, made under sea-level conditions, showed that water vapor acts as an inert diluent, reducing engine power in proportion to the amount of vapor present. By combining the effects of atmospheric pressure, temperature, and humidity, it is shown that the indicated power obtainable … more
Date: February 24, 1932
Creator: Brooks, D. B. & Garlock, E. A.
open access

The Effect of Multiple Fixed Slots and a Trailing-Edge Flap on the Lift and Drag of a Clark Y Airfoil

Description: "Lift and drag tests were made on a Clark Y wing equipped with four fixed slots and a trailing-edge flap in the 5-foot vertical wind tunnel of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics. All possible combinations of the four slots were tested with the flap neutral and the most promising combinations were tested with the flap down 45 degrees. Considering both the maximum lift coefficient and the speed-range ratio with the flap neutral no appreciable improvement was found with the use of mor… more
Date: 1932
Creator: Weick, Fred E. & Shortal, Joseph A.
open access

Wind-Tunnel Tests of a Clark Y Wing With a Narrow Auxiliary Airfoil in Different Positions

Description: "Aerodynamic force tests were made on a combination of a Clark Y wing and a narrow auxiliary airfoil to find the best location of the auxiliary airfoil with respect to the main wing. The auxiliary was a highly cambered airfoil of medium thickness having a chord 14.5 per cent that of the main wing. It was tested in 141 different positions ahead of, above, and behind the nose portion of the main wing, the range of the test points being extended until the best aerodynamic conditions were covered" … more
Date: February 23, 1932
Creator: Weick, Fred E. & Bamber, Millard J.
open access

Characteristics of Clark Y airfoils of small aspect ratios

Description: This report presents the results of a series of wind tunnel tests showing the force, moment, and autorotational characteristics of Clark Y airfoils having aspect ratios varying from 0.5 to 3. An airfoil of rectangular plan form was tested with rectangular tips, flared tips, and semicircular tips. Tests were also made on one airfoil of circular plan form and two airfoils of elliptical plan form. The tests revealed a marked delay of the stall and a decided increase in values of maximum lift coeff… more
Date: May 5, 1932
Creator: Zimmerman, C. H.
open access

Force measurements on a 1/40-scale model of the U. S. Airship "Akron"

Description: This report describes a series of tests made on a 1/40-scale model of the U. S. Airship "Akron" (ZRS-4) for the purpose of determining the drag, lift, and pitching moments of the bare hull and of the hull equipped with two different sets of fins. Measurements were also made of the elevator forces and hinge moments.
Date: May 6, 1932
Creator: Freeman, Hugh B.
open access

Rates of fuel discharge as affected by the design of fuel-injection systems for internal-combustion engines

Description: Using the method of weighing fuel collected in a receiver during a definite interval of the injection period, rates of discharge were determined, and the effects noted, when various changes were made in a fuel-injection system. The injection system consisted primarily of a by-pass controlled fuel pump and an automatic injection valve. The variables of the system studied were the pump speed, pump-throttle setting, discharge-orifice diameter, injection-valve opening and closing pressures, and inj… more
Date: May 15, 1932
Creator: Gelalles, A. G. & Marsh, E. T.
open access

Measurements of flow in the boundary layer of a 1/40-scale model of the U. S. Airship "Akron"

Description: This report presents the results of measurements of flow in the boundary layer of a 1/40-scale model of the U. S. Airship "Akron" (ZRS-4) made with the object of determining the boundary-layer thickness, the point of transition from laminar to the turbulent flow, and the velocity distribution in the boundary layer.
Date: April 27, 1932
Creator: Freeman, Hugh B.
open access

Lift and drag characteristics and gliding performance of an autogiro as determined in flight

Description: From Summary: "This report presents the results of flight test of the Pitcairn "PCA-2" autogiro. Lift and drag coefficients with the propeller stopped have been determined over approximately a 90 degree range of angles of attack. Based on the sum of fixed-wing and swept-disk areas, the maximum lift coefficient is 0.895, the minimum drag coefficient with propeller stopped is 0.015, and the maximum l/d with propeller stopped is 4.8. Lift coefficients were found also with the propeller delivering … more
Date: May 2, 1932
Creator: Wheatley, John B.
open access

Fuel vaporization and its effect on combustion in a high-speed compression-ignition engine

Description: "The tests discussed in this report were conducted to determine whether or not there is appreciable vaporization of the fuel injected into a high-speed compression-ignition engine during the time available for injection and combustion. The effects of injection advance angle and fuel boiling temperature were investigated. The results show that an appreciable amount of the fuel is vaporized during injection even though the temperature and pressure conditions in the engine are not sufficient to ca… more
Date: May 4, 1932
Creator: Rothrock, A. M. & Waldron, C. D.
open access

The effect of area aspect ratio on the yawing moments of rudders at large angles of pitch on three fuselages

Description: This reports presents the results of measurements made of yawing moments produced by rudder displacement for seven rudders mounted on each of three fuselages at angles of pitch of 0 degree, 8 degrees, 12 degrees, 20 degrees, 30 degrees and 40 degrees. The dimensions of the rudders were selected to cover the range of areas and aspect ratios commonly used, while the ratios of rudder area to fin area and of rudder chord to fin chord were kept approximately constant. An important result of the meas… more
Date: May 16, 1932
Creator: Dryden, Hugh L. & Monish, B. H.
open access

Experiments on the distribution of fuel in fuel sprays

Description: The distribution of fuel in sprays for compression-ignition engines was investigated by taking high-speed spark photographs of fuel sprays reproduced under a wide variety of conditions, and also by injecting them against pieces of plasticine. A photographic study was made of sprays injected into evacuated chambers, into the atmosphere, into compressed air, and into transparent liquids. Pairs of identical sprays were injected counter to each other and their behavior analyzed. Small high velocity… more
Date: February 13, 1932
Creator: Lee, Dana W.
open access

Wind-Tunnel Research Comparing Lateral Control Devices, Particularly at High Angles of Attack 5: Spoilers and Ailerons on Rectangular Wings

Description: "This report covers the fifth of a series of systematic investigations in which lateral control devices are compared with particular reference to their effectiveness at high angles of attack. The present report deals with tests of spoilers and ordinary ailerons on rectangular Clark Y wing models. In an effort to obtain satisfactory control throughout the entire angle-of-attack range that can be maintained in flight, various spoilers were tested in combination with two sizes of previously tested… more
Date: June 13, 1932
Creator: Weick, Fred E. & Shortal, Joseph A.
open access

The Mechanism of Atomization Accompanying Solid Injection

Description: "A brief historical and descriptive account of solid injection is followed by a detailed review of the available theoretical and experimental data that seem to throw light on the mechanism of this form of atomization. It is concluded that this evidence indicates that (1) the atomization accompanying solid injection occurs at the surface of the liquid after it issues as a solid stream from the orifice; and (2) that such atomization has a mechanism physically identical with the atomization which … more
Date: January 6, 1932
Creator: Castleman, R. A., Jr.
open access

A flight investigation of the spinning of the NY-1 airplane with varied mass distribution and other modifications, and an analysis based on wind-tunnel tests

Description: This report presents the results of an investigation of the spinning characteristics of NY-1 naval training biplane. The results of flight tests and an analysis based on wind-tunnel test data are given and compared. The primary purpose of the investigation was the determination in flight of the effect of changes in mass distribution along the longitudinal axis, without change of mass quantity or centroid. Other effects were also investigated, such as those due to wing loading, center-of-gravity… more
Date: June 18, 1932
Creator: Scudder, Nathan F.
open access

A comparison between the theoretical and measured longitudinal stability characteristics of an airplane

Description: This report covers an investigation of the application of the theory of dynamic longitudinal stability, based on the assumption of small oscillations, to oscillations an airplane is likely to undergo in flight. The investigation was conducted with a small parasol monoplane for the fixed-stick condition. The period and damping of longitudinal oscillations were determined by direct measurements of oscillations in flight and also by calculation in which the factors that enter the theoretical stabi… more
Date: June 24, 1932
Creator: Soulé, Hartley A. & Wheatley, John B.
open access

Pressure-distribution measurements on the hull and fins of scale model of the U. S. Airship "Akron"

Description: This report presents the results of measurements of pressure distribution conducted in the propeller-research wind tunnel of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics on a 1/40-scale model of the U. S. Airship "Akron" (ZRS-4). The pressures, which were measured simultaneously at nearly 400 orifices located at 26 stations along one side of the hull, were recorded by two photographic multiple manometers placed inside the model. The hull pressures were measured both with and without the tail… more
Date: June 28, 1932
Creator: Freeman, Hugh B.
open access

Wind-tunnel research comparing lateral control devices, particularly at high angles of attack 6: skewed ailerons on rectangular wings

Description: "This report covers the sixth of a series of investigations in which various lateral control devices are compared with particular reference to their effectiveness at high angles of attack. The present report deals with flap-type ailerons hinged about axes having an angle with respect to the leading and trailing edges of the wing. Tests were made on four different skewed ailerons, including two different angles of skew and two sizes of ailerons" (p. 81).
Date: July 12, 1932
Creator: Weick, Fred E. & Harris, Thomas A.
open access

Working Charts for the Determination of the Lift Distribution Between Biplane Wings

Description: "In this report are presented empirical working charts from which the distribution of lift between wings, that is the fraction of the total lift borne by each, can be determined in the positive lift range for any ordinary biplane cellule whose individual wings have the same profile. The variables taken directly into account include airfoil section, stagger, gap/chord ratio, decalage, chord ratio, and overhang. It is shown that the influence of unequal sweepback and unequal dihedral in upper and… more
Date: July 11, 1932
Creator: Kuhn, Paul
open access

Static thrust of airplane propellers

Description: Static thrust data from more than 100 airplane propeller tests are collected from various sources and combined in working charts, from which the static thrust coefficient may be readily determined. The available data cover practically all types of propellers and are in good agreement.
Date: September 1932
Creator: Diehl, Walter S.
open access

Wing Characteristics as Affected by Protuberances of Short Span

Description: "The drag and interference caused by short-span protuberances from the surface of an airfoil have been investigated in the NACA variable-density wind tunnel at a Reynolds number of approximately 3,100,000, based on the chord length of the airfoil. The effects of variations of protuberance span length, span position, and shape were measured by determining how the wing characteristics were affected by the addition of the various protuberances" (p. 155).
Date: October 24, 1932
Creator: Jacobs, Eastman N. & Sherman, Albert
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