Fiscal Year:
2008
Title:
Computational Wind Tunnel: A Design Tool for Rotorcraft
Agency:
NASA
Contract:
NNX08CA61P
Award Amount:
$99,527.00
Abstract:
Rotorcraft engineers traditionally use the wind tunnel to evaluate and
finalize designs. Insufficient correlation between wind tunnel results and flight tests,
have been often attributed in part to uncertainty in blockage corrections.
Estimation of rotor blockage is significantly more complex than bluff body
blockage as the correction depends on operational characteristics such
as rotor RPM and thrust produced.
This proposal offers to develop a design tool, which can simulate a complete
rotorcraft inside a wind tunnel including all the facility effects.
At the heart of the innovation are:
1. An automated hybrid grid generator.
2. A robust and economical incompressible flow solver for the
grid system.
3. Momentum source based rotor model that is suitable and economical
for simulating multiple rotors including the drive fans of the wind tunnel.
Phase I will develop the proof-of-concept and will use unstructured Cartesian
grid for the model and wind tunnel. The wind tunnel will be modeled with the
diffuser, test section and nozzle.
In phase II, the tool will be extended to hybrid grid with viscous grid near
solid surfaces and will include drive fans of the tunnel.
Small Business Information at Submission:
Sukra Helitek, Inc.
3146 Greenwood Road Ames, IA 50014
EIN/Tax ID:
421371077
DUNS:
N/A
Number of Employees:
Woman-Owned:
No
Minority-Owned:
No
HUBZone-Owned:
No