A Base Drag Reduction Experiment On The X 33 Linear Aerospike Sr 71 Experiment Lasre Flight Program

Drag reduction tests were conducted on the LASRE/X-33 flight experiment. The LASRE experiment is a flight test of a roughly 20-percent scale model of an X-33 forebody with a single aerospike engine at the rear. The experiment apparatus is mounted on top of an SR-71 aircraft. This paper suggests a method for reducing base drag by adding surface roughness along the forebody. Calculations show a potential for base drag reductions of 8 to 14 percent. Flight results corroborate the base drag reduction, with actual reductions of 15 percent in the high-subsonic flight regime. An unexpected result of this experiment is that drag benefits were shown to persist well into the supersonic flight regime. Flight results show no overall net drag reduction. Applied surface roughness causes forebody pressures to rise and offset base drag reductions. Apparently the grit displaced streamlines outward, causing forebody compression. Results of the LASRE drag experiments are inconclusive and more work is needed. Clearly, however, the forebody grit application works as a viable drag reduction tool.

Drag reduction tests were conducted on the LASRE/X-33 flight experiment. The LASRE experiment is a flight test of a roughly 20% scale model of an X-33 forebody with a single aerospike engine at the rear. The experiment apparatus is mounted on top of an SR-71 aircraft. This paper suggests a method for reducing base drag by adding surface roughness along the forebody. Calculations show a potential for base drag reductions of 8-14%. Flight results corroborate the base drag reduction, with actual reductions of 15% in the high-subsonic flight regime. An unexpected result of this experiment is that drag benefits were shown to persist well into the supersonic flight regime. Flight results show no overall net drag reduction. Applied surface roughness causes forebody pressures to rise and offset base drag reductions. Apparently the grit displaced streamlines outward, causing forebody compression. Results of the LASRE drag experiments are inconclusive and more work is needed. Clearly, however, the forebody grit application works as a viable drag reduction tool. Whitmore, Stephen A. and Moes, Timothy R. Armstrong Flight Research Center NASA/TM-1999-206575, H-2333, NAS 1.15:206575, AIAA Paper 99-0277

It is our pleasure to present these proceedings from the United Engineering Foundation Conference on The Aerodynamics of Heavy Vehicles: Trucks, Buses and Trains held December 2-6, 2002, in Monterey, California. This Department of Energy, United Engineering Foundation, and industry sponsored conference brought together 90 leading engineering researchers from around the world to discuss the aerodynamic drag of heavy vehicles. Participants from national labs, academia, and industry, including truck manufacturers, discussed how computer simulation and experimental techniques could be used to design more fuel efficient trucks, buses, and trains. Conference topics included comparison of computational fluid dynamics calculations using both steady and unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes, large-eddy simulation, and hybrid turbulence models and experimental data obtained from the Department of Energy sponsored and other wind tunnel experiments. Advanced experimental techniques including three-dimensional particle image velocimetry were presented, along with their use in evaluating drag reduction devices. We would like to thank the UEF conference organizers for their dedication and quick response to sudden deadlines. In addition, we would like to thank all session chairs, the scientific advisory committee, authors, and reviewers for their many hours of dedicated effort that contributed to a successful conference and resulted in this document of the conference proceedings. We also gratefully acknowledge the support received from the United Engineering Foundation, the US Department of Energy, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Volvo Trucks America, International Truck and Engine Corporation, and Freightliner LLC.

This paper develops a real-time method based on the law of the wake for estimating forebody skin-friction coefficients. The incompressible law-of-the-wake equations are numerically integrated across the boundary layer depth to develop an engineering model that relates longitudinally averaged skin-friction coefficients to local boundary layer thickness. Solutions applicable to smooth surfaces with pressure gradients and rough surfaces with negligible pressure gradients are presented. Model accuracy is evaluated by comparing model predictions with previously measured flight data. This integral law procedure is beneficial in that skin-friction coefficients can be indirectly evaluated in real-time using a single boundary layer height measurement. In this concept a reference pitot probe is inserted into the flow, well above the anticipated maximum thickness of the local boundary layer. Another probe is servomechanism-driven and floats within the boundary layer. A controller regulates the position of the floating probe. The measured servomechanism of this second probe provides an indirect measurement of both local and longitudinally averaged skin friction. Simulation results showing the performance of the control law for a noisy boundary layer are then presented.