Lists citations with abstracts for aerospace related reports obtained from world wide sources and announces documents that have recently been entered into the NASA Scientific and Technical Information Database.

Downscaled physical models, also referred to as subscale models, have played an essential role in the investigation of the complex physics of flight until the recent disruption of numerical simulation. Despite the fact that improvements in computational methods are slowly pushing experimental techniques towards a secondary role as verification or calibration tools, real-world testing of physical prototypes still provides an unmatched confidence. Physical models are very effective at revealing issues that are sometimes not correctly identified in the virtual domain, and hence can be a valuable complement to other design tools. But traditional wind-tunnel testing cannot always meet all of the requirements of modern aeronautical research and development. It is nowadays too expensive to use these scarce facilities to explore different design iterations during the initial stages of aircraft development, or to experiment with new and immature technologies. Testing of free-flight subscale models, referred to as Subscale Flight Testing (SFT), could offer an affordable and low-risk alternative for complementing conventional techniques with both qualitative and quantitative information. The miniaturisation of mechatronic systems, the advances in rapid-prototyping techniques and power storage, as well as new manufacturing methods, currently enable the development of sophisticated test objects at scales that were impractical some decades ago. Moreover, the recent boom in the commercial drone industry has driven a quick development of specialised electronics and sensors, which offer nowadays surprising capabilities at competitive prices. These recent technological disruptions have significantly altered the cost-benefit function of SFT and it is necessary to re-evaluate its potential in the contemporary aircraft development context. This thesis aims to increase the comprehension and knowledge of the SFT method in order to define a practical framework for its use in aircraft design; focusing on low-cost, short-time solutions that don’t require more than a small organization and few resources. This objective is approached from a theoretical point of view by means of an analysis of the physical and practical limitations of the scaling laws; and from an empirical point of view by means of field experiments aimed at identifying practical needs for equipment, methods, and tools. A low-cost data acquisition system is developed and tested; a novel method for semi-automated flight testing in small airspaces is proposed; a set of tools for analysis and visualisation of flight data is presented; and it is also demonstrated that it is possible to explore and demonstrate new technology using SFT with a very limited amount of economic and human resources. All these, together with a theoretical review and contextualisation, contribute to increasing the comprehension and knowledge of the SFT method in general, and its potential applications in aircraft conceptual design in particular.

The ability to predict and control viscous flow phenomena is becoming increasingly important in modern industrial application. The Instability and Transition Workshop at Langley was extremely important in help§ ing the scientists community to access the state of knowledge in the area of transition from laminar to turbulent flow, to identify promising future areas of research and to build future interactions between researchers worldwide working in the areas of theoretical, experimental and computational fluid and aero dynamics. The set of two volume contains panel discussions and research contribution with the following objectives: (1) expose the academic community to current technologically important issues of instability and transitions in shear flows over the entire speed range, (2) acquaint the academic community with the unique combination of theoretical, computational and experimental capabilities at LaRC and foster interaction with these facilities. (3) review current state-of-the-art and propose future directions for instability and transition research, (4) accelerate progress in elucidating basic understanding of transition phenomena and in transferring this knowledge into improved design methodologies through improved transition modeling, and (5) establish mechanism for continued interaction.

Lists citations with abstracts for aerospace related reports obtained from world wide sources and announces documents that have recently been entered into the NASA Scientific and Technical Information Database.

A New Edition of the Most Effective Text/Reference in the Field! Aerodynamics, Aeronautics, and Flight Mechanics, Second Edition Barnes W. McCormick, Pennsylvania State University 57506-2 When the first edition of Aerodynamics, Aeronautics, and Flight Mechanics was published, it quickly became one of the most important teaching and reference tools in the field. Not only did generations of students learn from it, they continue to use it on the job-the first edition remains one of the most well-thumbed guides you'll find in an airplane company. Now this classic text/reference is available in a bold new edition. All new material and the interweaving of the computer throughout make the Second Edition even more practical and current than before! A New Edition as Complete and Applied as the First Both analytical and applied in nature, Aerodynamics, Aeronautics, and Flight Mechanics presents all necessary derivations to understand basic principles and then applies this material to specific examples. You'll find complete coverage of the full range of topics, from aerodynamics to propulsion to performance to stability and control. Plus, the new Second Edition boasts the same careful integration of concepts that was an acclaimed feature of the previous edition. For example, Chapters 9, 10, and 11 give a fully integrated presentation of static, dynamic, and automatic stability and control. These three chapters form the basis of a complete course on stability and control. New Features You'll Find in the Second Edition * A new chapter on helicopter and V/STOL aircraft- introduces a phase of aerodynamics not covered in most current texts * Even more material than the previous edition, including coverage of stealth airplanes and delta wings * Extensive use of the computer throughout- each chapter now contains several computer exercises * A computer disk with programs written by the author is available