Derivation and validation of a similarity law for free-flight wind tunnel tests of parallel stage separation

Aiming at the safety problem of the stage separation of parallel reusable high-speed air vehicles,this paper studies the unsteady test method and focuses on deriving a similarity law of parallel stage separation free-flight wind tunnel tests.The new similarity law considers the influences of aerodynamic force and gravity on the motions of the two stages,as well as the influence of aerodynamic interference between the two stages on each other’s motion.From the perspective of multiangle physical equations,the conditions to ensure that the two-stage separation trajectory of a wind tunnel test is similar to that of a real air vehicle are derived innovatively,so as to ensure the authenticity and credibility of wind tunnel test results.The similarity law is verified by an HIFiRE-5 air vehicle,and the separation trajectories of wind tunnel tests and the real air vehicle are obtained by numerical simulation.The research shows that the similarity law derived in this paper can ensure that wind tunnel free-flight tests have the ability to predict the two-stage separation characteristics of real parallel vehicles.By analyzing the separation trajectory curve of the typical state,it is found that the new method can ensure that the trajectory error of a wind tunnel test does not exceed 1%,which indicates that this method is credible.The establishment of the new method lays the foundation for subsequent wind tunnel tests and provides support for research on the safety of the stage separation of parallel reusable air vehicles.

Optimization and design of an aircraft's morphing wing-tip demonstrator for drag reduction at low speeds, Part II- Experimental validation using Infra-Red transition measurement from Wind Tunnel tests

In the present paper, an ‘in-house＇ genetic algorithm was numerically and experimentally validated. The genetic algorithm was applied to an optimization problem for improving the aerodynamic performances of an aircraft wing tip through upper surface morphing. The optimization was performed for 16 flight cases expressed in terms of various combinations of speeds, angles of attack and aileron deflections. The displacements resulted from the optimization were used during the wind tunnel tests of the wing tip demonstrator for the actuators control to change the upper surface shape of the wing. The results of the optimization of the flow behavior for the airfoil morphing upper-surface problem were validated with wind tunnel experimental transition results obtained with infra-red Thermography on the wing-tip demonstrator. The validation proved that the 2D numerical optimization using the ‘in-house＇ genetic algorithm was an appropriate tool in improving various aspects of a wing＇s aerodynamic performances.

Effects of sand sedimentation and wind erosion around sand barrier:Numerical simulation and wind tunnel test studies

Based on numerical simulations,this study highlights the sedimentation and erosion problems around a sand barrier through the relationship between the shear stress of the surface around the sand barrier and the critical shear stress of sand grains.The numerical simulation results were verified using data measured by the wind tunnel test.The results showed that when the porosity was the same,the size and position of the vortex on the leeward side of the sand barrier were related to the inlet wind speed.As the wind speed increased,the vortex volume increased and the positions of the separation and reattachment points moved toward the leeward side.When the porosity of the sand barrier was 30%,the strength of the acceleration zone above the sand barrier was the highest,and the strength of the acceleration zone was negatively correlated with the porosity.Sand erosion and sedimentation distance were related to wind speed.With an increase in wind speed,the sand grain forward erosion or reverse erosion areas on the leeward side of the sand barrier gradually replaced the sedimentation area.With an increase in porosity,the sand sedimentation distance on the leeward side of the sand barrier gradually shortened,and the sand erosion area gradually disappeared.The sand sedimentation distance on the leeward side of the sand barrier with 30%porosity was the longest.The numerical simulation results were in good agreement with the wind tunnel test results.Based on the sand erosion and sedimentation results of the numerical simulation and wind tunnel test,when the porosity was 30%,the protection effect of the High Density Polyethylene(HDPE)board sand barrier was best.

Proportional fuzzy feed-forward architecture control validation by wind tunnel tests of a morphing wing

In aircraft wing design,engineers aim to provide the best possible aerodynamic performance under cruise flight conditions in terms of lift-to-drag ratio.Conventional control surfaces such as flaps,ailerons,variable wing sweep and spoilers are used to trim the aircraft for other flight conditions.The appearance of the morphing wing concept launched a new challenge in the area of overall wing and aircraft performance improvement during different flight segments by locally altering the flow over the aircraft＇s wings.This paper describes the development and application of a control system for an actuation mechanism integrated in a new morphing wing structure.The controlled actuation system includes four similar miniature electromechanical actuators disposed in two parallel actuation lines.The experimental model of the morphing wing is based on a full-scale portion of an aircraft wing,which is equipped with an aileron.The upper surface of the wing is a flexible one,being closed to the wing tip;the flexible skin is made of light composite materials.The four actuators are controlled in unison to change the flexible upper surface to improve the flow quality on the upper surface by delaying or advancing the transition point from laminar to turbulent regime.The actuators transform the torque into vertical forces.Their bases are fixed on the wing ribs and their top link arms are attached to supporting plates fixed onto the flexible skin with screws.The actuators push or pull the flexible skin using the necessary torque until the desired vertical displacement of each actuator is achieved.The four vertical displacements of the actuators,correlated with the new shape of the wing,are provided by a database obtained through a preliminary aerodynamic optimization for specific flight conditions.The control system is designed to control the positions of the actuators in real time in order to obtain and to maintain the desired shape of the wing for a specified flight condition.The feasibility and effectiveness of the developed control system by use of a proportional fuzzy feed-forward methodology are demonstrated experimentally through bench and wind tunnel tests of the morphing wing model.

Gust load alleviation wind tunnel tests of a large-aspect-ratio flexible wing with piezoelectric control

An active control technique utilizing piezoelectric actuators to alleviate gust-response loads of a large-aspect-ratio flexible wing is investigated. Piezoelectric materials have been extensively used for active vibration control of engineering structures. In this paper, piezoelectric materials further attempt to suppress the vibration of the aeroelastic wing caused by gust. The motion equation of the flexible wing with piezoelectric patches is obtained by Hamilton＇s principle with the modal approach, and then numerical gust responses are analyzed, based on which a gust load alleviation（GLA） control system is proposed. The gust load alleviation system employs classic propor tional-integral-derivative（PID） controllers which treat piezoelectric patches as control actuators and acceleration as the feedback signal. By a numerical method, the control mechanism that piezoelectric actuators can be used to alleviate gust-response loads is also analyzed qualitatively. Furthermore, through low-speed wind tunnel tests, the effectiveness of the gust load alleviation active control technology is validated. The test results agree well with the numerical results. Test results show that at a certain frequency range, the control scheme can effectively alleviate the z and x wingtip accelerations and the root bending moment of the wing to a certain extent. The control system gives satisfying gust load alleviation efficacy with the reduction rate being generally over 20%.

Mach Number Prediction for a Wind Tunnel Based on the CNN-LSTM-Attention Method

The test section’s Mach number in wind tunnel testing is a significant metric for evaluating system performance.The quality of the flow field in the wind tunnel is contingent upon the system's capacity to maintain stability across various working conditions.The process flow in wind tunnel testing is inherently complex,resulting in a system characterized by nonlinearity,time lag,and multiple working conditions.To implement the predictive control algorithm,a precise Mach number prediction model must be created.Therefore,this report studies the method for Mach number prediction modelling in wind tunnel flow fields with various working conditions.Firstly,this paper introduces a continuous transonic wind tunnel.The key physical quantities affecting the flow field of the wind tunnel are determined by analyzing its structure and blowing process.Secondly,considering the nonlinear and time-lag characteristics of the wind tunnel system,a CNN-LSTM model is employed to establish the Mach number prediction model by combining the 1D-CNN algorithm with the LSTM model,which has long and short-term memory functions.Then,the attention mechanism is incorporated into the CNN-LSTM prediction model to enable the model to focus more on data with greater information importance,thereby enhancing the model's training effectiveness.The application results ultimately demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed approach.

Design and Wind Tunnel Study of a Top-mounted Diverterless Inlet

Combined with a UAV of the shape like Global Hawk, a new inlet is advanced to obtain high performance in both Radar Cross Section(RCS) and aerodynamic drag. Efforts are made to achieve this goal such as adopting a top-mounted inlet configuration, utilizing the diverterless technique and putting forward a new shape of entrance. A design method is brought forward and verified by wind tunnel tests. Results indicate: (1) Despite the negative effect of the front fuselage and the absence of the conventional boundary diverter, the performance of the top-mounted diverterless inlet advanced here(Ma:0.50-0.70, α:-4°-6°,σ>0.975) is equivalent to that of conventional S shaped inlet with diverter; (2) The integration of the inlet with the fuselage is realized by the utilization of a special inlet section and the diverterless technique, which disposes the whole inlet in the shield of the head of UAV, improving the drag characteristics and the stealthy performance of the aircraft; (3) The bump which is equal to the local boundary layer thickness in height can divert the boundary layer effectively. As a result, no obvious low total pressure zone is found at the outlet of the inlet; (4) According to the experimental results, negative angle of attack is favorable to the total pressure recovery and positive angle of attack is favorable to the total pressure distortion, while yaw brings bad effects on both; (5) The design of cowl lip is of great importance to the inlet performance at yaw, therefore, further improvement of the inlet performance will rely on the lip shapes of the cowl chosen.

An Investigation into the Effects of the Reynolds Number on High-Speed Trains Using a Low Temperature Wind Tunnel Test Facility

A series of tests have been conducted using a Cryogenic Wind Tunnel to study the effect of Reynolds number(Re)on the aerodynamic force and surface pressure experienced by a high speed train.The test Reynolds number has been varied from 1 million to 10 million,which is the highest Reynolds number a wind tunnel has ever achieved for a train test.According to our results,the drag coefficient of the leading car decreases with higher Reynolds number for yaw angles up to 30º.The drag force coefficient drops about 0.06 when Re is raised from 1 million to 10 million.The side force is caused by the high pressure at the windward side and the low pressure generated by the vortex at the lee side.Both pressure distributions are not appreciably affected by Reynolds number changes at yaw angles up to 30°.The lift force coefficient increases with higher Re,though the change is small.At a yaw angle of zero the down force coefficient is reduced by a scale factor of about 0.03 when the Reynolds number is raised over the considered range.At higher yaw angles the lift force coefficient is reduced about 0.1.Similar to the side force coefficient,the rolling moment coefficient does not change much with Re.The magnitude of the pitching moment coefficient increases with higher Re.This indicates that the load on the front bogie is higher at higher Reynolds numbers.The yawing moment coefficient increases with Re.This effect is more evident at higher yaw angles.The yawing moment coefficient increases by about 6%when Re is raised from 1 million to 10 million.The influence of Re on the rolling moment coefficient around the leeward rail is relatively smaller.It increases by about 2%over the considered range of Re.

Measurements of Wind Loads on Side-by-Side Semi-Submersibles in A Wind Tunnel

The multi-body system has been a popular form for offshore operations in terms of high efficiency.The wind effects are crucial which directly affect the relative positions of floating bodies and operating security.In this study,the aerodynamic characteristics for two coupled semi-submersibles were analyzed in a wind tunnel to fill the gaps in literature related to the wind sheltering on offshore platforms.The influences of separation distance were also investigated.According to the results,substantial shielding effects were observed and wind forces on the shielded vessel decreased dramatically:a reduction in the transverse force could be up to 74%.Moreover,the longitudinal wind load was amplified by the platform abreast in a side-by-side configuration.As expected,the interference level became more pronounced with a decreasing separation distance.For cases in which wind interaction decayed rapidly with distance,logarithmic functions were preferable for describing the relationship between them.Whereas linear fitting was reasonable for the transverse wind force when there was still evident sheltering at a quite large distance.The length of shielding area was another important factor that there was approximately a linear relationship between it and the shielding level for two platforms in close proximity at various wind attack angles.Based on the two parameters,a preliminary wind loads estimation method considering shielding effects was proposed.This approach can aid the industry to have a qualitative assessment of wind sheltering especially at early stages.

Design of Scale Model Mechanism in Low Speed Wind Tunnel

Motion control can be considered as the synergistic collaboration of mechanical and electrical engineering, computer science and information technology to apply a controlled force to achieve useful motion in fluid or soiled electromechanical systems. With the development of computer, electronics, and automatic control theory, motion control comes to a new stage. Great applications are based on the characteristics, stemming from advantages of electronics and modern control technology achievements, having a very good load matching property. Currently, microprocessor-based controllers are invariably used in most applications of drive electronics. The object of this work is to design a position control mechanism system, which can be used in test section of low speed wind tunnel. System load specifications and performance requirements are given. A comprehensive study of mathematical modeling of the mechanism components is given. Procedure for selection of various components with optimum parameters is discussed. After selection and calculation of system parameters to meet the performance requirements, a PID control method is adopted.

Research on wind erosion processes and controlling factors based on wind tunnel test and 3D laser scanning technology

The study of wind erosion processes is of great importance to the prevention and control of soil wind erosion.In this study,three structurally intact soil samples were collected from the steppe of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region,China and placed in a wind tunnel where they were subjected to six different wind speeds(10,15,17,20,25,and 30 m/s)to simulate wind erosion in the wind tunnel.After each test,the soil surfaces were scanned by a 3D laser scanner to create a high-resolution Digital Elevation Model(DEM),and the changes in wind erosion mass and microtopography were quantified.Based on this,we performed further analysis of wind erosion-controlling factors.The study results showed that the average measurement error between the 3D laser scanning method and weighing method was 6.23%for the three undisturbed soil samples.With increasing wind speed,the microtopography on the undisturbed soil surface first became smooth,and then fine stripes and pits gradually developed.In the initial stage of wind erosion processes,the ability of the soil to resist wind erosion was mainly affected by the soil hardness.In the late stage of wind erosion processes,the degree of soil erosion was mainly affected by soil organic matter and CaCO_(3)content.The results of this study are expected to provide a theoretical basis for soil wind erosion control and promote the application of 3D laser scanners in wind erosion monitoring.

Wind Tunnel Test and Numerical Computation on Ice Accretion on Blade Airfoil for Straight-bladed VAWT

To invest the condition of ice accretion on the blade used for straight-bladed vertical axis wind turbine （SB-VAWT）, wind tunnel tests were carried out on a blade with NACA0015 airfoil by using a small simple icing wind tunnel. Tests were carried out at some typical attack angles under different wind speeds and flow discharges of a water spray with wind. The icing shape and area on blade surface were recorded and measured, Then the numerical computation was carded out to calculate the lift and drag coefficients of the blade before and after ice accretion according to the experiment result, the effect of icing on the aerodynamic characteristics of blade were discussed.

Wind Tunnel Test on the Wind-Resistant Behavior of a Long-Span Cable-Stayed Bridge during Erection

In order to investigate the aerodynamic behavior of the Sutong bridge over Yangtze River during erection, a 1：50 sectional model of the bridge deck, a 1： 100 full aeroelastic model of the free standing pylon and a 1： 125 full aeroelastic model for the maxim cantilever configuration were built. The test results show that there was no serious vortex-induced vibration at the bridge deck, and that the free standing tower, the model scale and the turbulence intensity influenced static loading. The buffeting responses during the maximum cantilever configuration did not affect the safety of the bridge under construction.

Effects of Tuned Mass Damper on Wind-Induced Vibration of Free Standing Pylon by Wind Tunnel Test

In order to assess the effects of tuned mass dampers （TMDs） on wind actions, an aeroelastic model with a scale of 1：60 was constructed. Tests were performed in an atmospheric boundary layer wind tunnel to investigate the buffeting response of the pylon with a TMD fixed by a wire rope instead of a spring. The model was tested under different levels of damping. The experimental and numerical results showed that with the TMD in the optimal condition, the buffeting response was reduced by 47%.

Design of a large-scale model for wind tunnel test of a multiadaptive flap concept

The design and application of morphing systems are ongoing issues compelling the aviation industry.The Clean Sky-program represents the most significant aeronautical research ever launched in Europe on advanced technologies for greening next-generation aircraft.The primary purpose of the program is to develop new concepts aimed at decreasing the effects of aviation on the environment,increasing reliability,and promoting eco-friendly mobility.These ambitions are pursued through research on enabling technologies fostering noise and gas emissions reduction,mainly by improving aircraft aerodynamic performances.Within the Clean Sky framework,a multimodal morphing flap device was designed based on tight industrial requirements and tailored for large civil aircraft applications.The flap is deployed in one unique setting,and its cross section is morphed differently in take-off and landing to get the necessary extra lift for the specific flight phase.Moreover,during the cruise,the tip of the flap is deflected for load control and induced drag reduction.Before manufacturing the first flap prototype,a high-speed(Ma=0.3),large-scale test campaign(geometric scale factor 1:3)was deemed necessary to validate the performance improvements brought by this novel system at the aircraft level.On the other hand,the geometrical scaling of the flap prototype was considered impracticable due to the unscalability of the embedded mechanisms and actuators for shape transition.Therefore,a new architecture was conceived for the flap model to comply with the scaled dimensions requirements,withstand the relevant loads expected during the wind tunnel tests and emulate the shape transition capabilities of the true-scale flap.Simplified strategies were developed to effectively morph the model during wind tunnel tests while ensuring the robustness of each morphed configuration and maintaining adequate stiffness levels to prevent undesirable deviations from the intended aerodynamic shapes.Additionally,a simplified design was conceived for the flap-wing interface,allowing for quick adjustments of the flap setting and enabling load transmission paths like those arising between the full-scale flap and the wing.The design process followed for the definition of this challenging wind tunnel model has been addressed in this work,covering the definition of the conceptual layout,the numerical evaluation of the most severe loads expected during the test,and the verification of the structural layout by means of advanced finite element analyses.

The influence of the leading-edge angle of subgrade on the aerodynamic loads of a high-speed train in a wind tunnel

The purpose of this study is to establish the correlation between the boundary layer over the subgrade and the aerodynamic loads act-ing on the train model in conventional wind tunnel tests.Firstly,flow characteristics around the subgrade with different leading-edge angles(15°,30°and 45°)are investigated through the particle image velocimetry(PIV)experimental test method.Then,wind tunnel tests of the aerodynamic performance of a high-speed train are carried out.The results are compared with previous experimental data obtained by moving model tests.Results show that,due to the presence of a boundary layer,the pressure acting on the lower part of the train head decreases,while other locations are not significantly affected.This is the reason for the reduction of the aerodynamic drag and lift on the train.In addition,the reduction effects become more obvious when the thickness of the boundary layer increases.The experimental results obtained could serve as a calibration of aerodynamic forces for wind tunnel tests on high-speed trains.

Numerical and Experimental Analysis of the Aerodynamic Torque for Axle-Mounted Train Brake Discs

As the velocity of a train increases,the corresponding air pumping power consumption of the brake discs increases proportionally.In the present experimental study,a standard axle-mounted brake disc with circumferential pillars was analyzed using a 1:1 scale model and a test rig in a wind tunnel.In particular,three upstream velocities were selected on the basis of earlier investigations of trains operating at 160,250,and 400 km/h,respectively.Moreover,3D steady computational fluid dynamics(CFD)simulations of the flow field were conducted to compare with the wind tunnel test outcomes.The results for a 3-car train at 180 km/h demonstrated:(1)good agreement between the air resistance torques obtained from the wind tunnel tests and the related numerical results,with differences ranging from 0.95%to 5.88%;(2)discrepancies ranging from 3.2 to 3.8 N·m;(3)cooling ribs contributing more than 60%of the air resistance torque;(4)the fast rotation of brake discs causing a significantly different flow field near the bogie area,resulting in 25 times more air pumping power loss than that obtained in the stationary brake-disc case.

Effect of the W-beam central guardrails on wind-blown sand deposition on desert expressways in sandy regions

Many desert expressways are affected by the deposition of the wind-blown sand,which might block the movement of vehicles or cause accidents.W-beam central guardrails,which are used to improve the safety of desert expressways,are thought to influence the deposition of the wind-blown sand,but this has yet not to be studied adequately.To address this issue,we conducted a wind tunnel test to simulate and explore how the W-beam central guardrails affect the airflow,the wind-blown sand flux and the deposition of the wind-blown sand on desert expressways in sandy regions.The subgrade model is 3.5 cm high and 80.0 cm wide,with a bank slope ratio of 1:3.The W-beam central guardrails model is 3.7 cm high,which included a 1.4-cm-high W-beam and a 2.3-cm-high stand column.The wind velocity was measured by using pitot-static tubes placed at nine different heights(1,2,3,5,7,10,15,30 and 50 cm)above the floor of the chamber.The vertical distribution of the wind-blown sand flux in the wind tunnel was measured by using the sand sampler,which was sectioned into 20 intervals.In addition,we measured the wind-blown sand flux in the field at K50 of the Bachu-Shache desert expressway in the Taklimakan Desert on 11 May 2016,by using a customized 78-cm-high gradient sand sampler for the sand flux structure test.Obstruction by the subgrade leads to the formation of two weak wind zones located at the foot of the windward slope and at the leeward slope of the subgrade,and the wind velocity on the leeward side weakens significantly.The W-beam central guardrails decrease the leeward wind velocity,whereas the velocity increases through the bottom gaps and over the top of the W-beam central guardrails.The vertical distribution of the wind-blown sand flux measured by wind tunnel follows neither a power-law nor an exponential function when affected by either the subgrade or the W-beam central guardrails.At 0.0H and 0.5H(where H=3.5 cm,which is the height of the subgrade),the sand transport is less at the 3 cm height from the subgrade surface than at the 1 and 5 cm heights as a result of obstruction by the W-beam central guardrails,and the maximum sand transportation occurs at the 5 cm height affected by the subgrade surface.The average saltation height in the presence of the W-beam central guardrails is greater than the subgrade height.The field test shows that the sand deposits on the overtaking lane leeward of the W-beam central guardrails and that the thickness of the deposited sand is determined by the difference in the sand mass transported between the inlet and outlet points,which is consistent with the position of the minimum wind velocity in the wind tunnel test.The results of this study could help us to understand the hazards of the wind-blown sand onto subgrade with the W-beam central guardrails.

Research on wind-induced responses of a large-scale membrane structure

The wind-induced responses of a large-scale membrane structure, Expo Boulevard, are evaluated in this study. To obtain the wind pressure distribution on the roof surface, a wind tunnel test is performed. A brief analysis of wind pressure on the membrane roof is conducted first and then an analysis of the wind-induced responses of the structure is carried out using a numerical integral method in the time domain. In the process of calculation, the geometrical nonlinearity is taken into account. Results indicate that mean, RSM and peak values of the structure responses increase nonlinearly while the approaching flow velocity increases. Strong nonlinear characteristics are observed in the displacement responses, whereas the responses of nodal stress and cable axial force show minimal nonlinear properties when the membrane structure is subjected to wind loads. Different values of the damping ratio only have a minimal impact on the RSM response of the structure because the background component is a dominant part of the total dynamic response and the resonant component is too small. As the damping ratio increases from 0.02 to 0.05, the RMS responses of vertical displacement, nodal stress and cable axial force decrease by 8.1%, 6.7% and 17.9%, respectively. Since the mean component plays a significant role in the wind-induced response, the values of the gust response factor are not high for Expo Boulevard.

Experimental study of wind loads on cylindrical reticulated shells

The cylindrical reticulated shell structures without side walls, which are normally arranged in pairs, are usually used as dry-coal sheds in a thermal power plant. The wind loads of these shells do not exist in standards or codes. Therefore, this study investigates the mean and fluctuating wind loads on a cylindrical reticulated shell with a rise-to-span ratio of 0.39 through a series of wind tunnel tests. The characteristics of the wind pressures on the upper and lower surfaces and the net pressures are presented. The results show that the wind direction and another shell structure significantly affect the wind loads on the principal shell. The most unfavorable wind direction is around 30~, whereas the effects of the wind field and the height of the coal stack are small. The surfaces of the shells are divided into nine blocks, and the block mean and fluctuating （rms） pressure coefficients suitable for engineering applications are given as references for wind load codes.