SUBSONIC WIND-TUNNEL INVESTIGATION OF ERRORS INDICATED BY TOTAL-PRESSURE TUBES IN THE FLOW FIELD OF A BODY SIMULATING THE NOSE OF THE X-15 RESEARCH AIRPLANE

Abstract

A wind-tunnel investigation was conducted to determine the source of errors exhibited by a secondary total-pressure tube located on the upper surface of the fuselage of the X-15 with the nose boom. The effects of model- nose configuration, of the meridian plane of the totalpressure measurements, of changes in Mach numbers, and of the addition of a transition strip were investigated. Results indicated that a model configuration employing a nose boom suffered large losses of total pressure on the upper surface of the model. These errors were presumed to result from the vorticity shed by the boom. Results indicated the lower surface would be a suitable circumferential location for the secondary total-pressure tube. Effects of increasing the Mach number from 0.60 to 0.80 and the effects of adding a transition strip to the configuration with a nose boom were negligible. Wind-tunnel measurements were in reasonable agreement with flight measurements of secondary-tube total pressures for configurations without and with nose booms.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 01, 1962
Accession Number
AD0274021

Entities

People

  • William J. Alford Jr.

Organizations

  • National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Accuracy
  • Aircrafts
  • Airplanes
  • Errors
  • Flight
  • Flow
  • Flow Fields
  • Free Stream
  • Mach Number
  • Measurement
  • Measuring Instruments
  • Pressure Measurement
  • Research Aircraft
  • Static Pressure
  • Subsonic Wind Tunnels
  • Wind Tunnel Tests
  • Wind Tunnels

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Aerodynamics.
  • Aerodynamics/Aeronautics.