Date of Award
1-1-2006
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
M.S. in Engineering Science
Department
Engineering Science
First Advisor
Dr. Lawrence S. Ukeiley
Second Advisor
Dr. John M. Seiner
Third Advisor
Dr. Sumon K. Sinha
Relational Format
Dissertation/Thesis
Abstract
Limited significant changes in commercial aircraft designed have emerged in the past four decades. With the increased awareness of noise pollution in airport areas, the challenges of noise reduction and the modernization of commercial aircraft have resulted in the design of a novel Blended Wing Body (BWB) aircraft. The BWB provides promise for noise reduction through shielding as well as techniques such as boundary layer ingestion (BLI) engine inlets and distributed propulsion.
The purpose of this study was to depict the wake and flow over and on the surface of the model. Testing was conducted in a low speed wind tunnel with a 3% scale BWB model at M = 0.17. Two component hot-wire measurements were conducted to determine mean streamwise and transverse velocity components and mean and transverse turbulence intensities in the wake of the model at a distance of 0.8c, or 3.6 inches, downstream of the model. Hot-wire measurements were conduct at angles of attack of 0 and 7.5 degrees. Smoke flow visualization was conducted at the three spanwise locations at angles of attack ranging from 0 to 17 degrees. Surface flow visualization was performed over the same range of angles of attack.
The study showed the formation of a streamwise vortex and a swirling flow adjacent to the surface of the wing with peak turbulence intensities in the same region. The effects were noted at the location where the BWB’s thick fuselage transitions to a thin wing. These effects were comparable to other studies done on uniformly thin, low sweep delta wings.
Recommended Citation
Whiffen, Harold Holbrook, "Wake measurements and flow visualization of a blended-wing-body-model" (2006). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 3475.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd/3475