An investigation of the drag of windshields in the 8-foot high-speed wind tunnel (open access)

An investigation of the drag of windshields in the 8-foot high-speed wind tunnel

Report presents the results of tests made to determine the drag of closed-cockpit and transport-type windshields. The tests were made at speeds corresponding to a Mach number range of approximately 0.25 to 0.58 in the NACA 8-foot high-speed wind tunnel. This speed range corresponds to a test Reynolds number range of 2,510,000 to 4,830,000 based on the mean aerodynamic chord of the full-span model (17.29 in.). The shapes of the windshield proper, the hood, and the tail fairing were systematically varied to include common types and refined design.
Date: May 22, 1939
Creator: Robinson, Russell G. & Delano, James B.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Drag of Airplane Radiators With Special Reference to Air Heating (Comparison of Theory and Experiment) (open access)

The Drag of Airplane Radiators With Special Reference to Air Heating (Comparison of Theory and Experiment)

This report contains a survey of past radiator research. This report also is intended as a systematic comparison of theoretical and experimental radiator drag, with the object of ascertaining the most important loss sources and their interaction in different cases of installation, and to separate the radiator systems which are amenable to calculation, both as regards axial flow and drag. The sources of loss due to the diffuser are to be looked into closely as in many cases they can be of preeminent magnitude and their customary appraisal, according to Fliegner's formula, does not meet actual conditions.
Date: May 1939
Creator: Göthert, B.
System: The UNT Digital Library
An Experimental Investigation of the Normal Acceleration of an Airplane Model in a Gust (open access)

An Experimental Investigation of the Normal Acceleration of an Airplane Model in a Gust

Note presenting an investigation in the gust tunnel to determine the influence of airplane wing loading, forward velocity, wing plan form, and the fuselage on the reaction of the airplane to a known gust. Tests were made for four values of gust velocity and for two gust gradients, specifically the sharp-edge gust and a gust rising linearly to full strength in a distance of several chord lengths.
Date: May 1939
Creator: Donely, Philip
System: The UNT Digital Library
Experiments on the Recovery of Waste Heat in Cooling Ducts, Special Report (open access)

Experiments on the Recovery of Waste Heat in Cooling Ducts, Special Report

Tests have been conducted in the N.A.C.A. full-scale wind tunnel to investigate the partial recovery of the heat energy which is apparently wasted in the cooling of aircraft engines. The results indicate that if the radiator is located in an expanded duct, a part of the energy lost in cooling is recovered; however, the energy recovery is not of practical importance up to airplane speeds of 400 miles per hour. Throttling of the duct flow occurs with heated radiators and must be considered in designing the duct outlets from data obtained with cold radiators in the ducts.
Date: May 1939
Creator: Silverstein, Abe
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Power of Aircraft Engines at Altitude (open access)

The Power of Aircraft Engines at Altitude

The subject of the present paper is confined to the investigations and methods employed by the Fiat company in their studies on the altitude performance of an air-cooled engine of the production type. The experimental set-up as well as test engine data are provided.
Date: May 1939
Creator: Ragazzi, Paolo
System: The UNT Digital Library
Radiator Design and Installation (open access)

Radiator Design and Installation

"The fundamental principles of fluid flow, pressure losses, and heat transfer have been presented and analyzed for the case of a smooth tube with fully developed turbulent flow. These equations apply to tubes with large length-diameter ratios where the flow is at a high Reynolds Number. The error introduced by using these equations increases as the magnitude of the tube length and the air-flow Reynolds Number approaches the values encountered in modern radiator designs" (p. 1).
Date: May 1939
Creator: Brevoort, M. J. & Leifer, M.
System: The UNT Digital Library
A semi-graphical method for analyzing strains measured on three or four gage lines intersecting at 45 degrees (open access)

A semi-graphical method for analyzing strains measured on three or four gage lines intersecting at 45 degrees

Report presenting a method for analyzing strains measured on three or four gage lines intersecting at 45 degrees, which helps determine the state of stress at a point on a plane. An equation for adjustment factor and a master curve is provided, which can be memorized and easily used in the future.
Date: May 1939
Creator: Hill, H. N.
System: The UNT Digital Library
A simplified method for the calculation of airfoil pressure distribution (open access)

A simplified method for the calculation of airfoil pressure distribution

From Summary: "A method is presented for the rapid calculation of the pressure distribution over an airfoil section when the normal-force distribution and the pressure distribution over the "base profile" (i.e., the profile of the same airfoil were the camber line straight and the resulting airfoil at zero angle of attack) are known. This note is intended as a supplement to N.A.C.A. Report Nos. 631 and 634 wherein methods are presented for the calculation of the normal-force distribution over plain and flapped airfoils, respectively, but not of the pressures on the individual surfaces. Base-profile pressure-coefficient distributions for the usual N.A.C.A. family of airfoils, which are also suitable for several other commonly employed airfoils, are included in tabular form. With these tabulated base-profile pressures and the computed normal-force distributions, pressure distributions adequate for most engineering purposes can be obtained."
Date: May 1939
Creator: Allen, H. Julian
System: The UNT Digital Library
Some Notes on the Numerical Solution of Shear-Lag and Mathematically Related Problemsq (open access)

Some Notes on the Numerical Solution of Shear-Lag and Mathematically Related Problemsq

"The analysis of box beams with shear deformation of the flanges can be reduced to the solution of a differential equation. The same equation is met in other problems of stress analysis. No analytical solutions of this equation can be given for practical cases, and numerical methods of evaluation must be used. Available methods are briefly discussed. Two numerical examples show the application of the step-by-step method of integration to shear-lag problems" (p. 1).
Date: May 1939
Creator: Kuhn, Paul
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Way to Increased Airplane Engine Power (open access)

The Way to Increased Airplane Engine Power

The purpose of this paper is to give an outline of the present state of development and point out the possibilities available for the further increase in the power/displacement ratio, the economy, and the reliability of the engine. Some of the aspects discussed are methods of increasing take-off power, the various methods of preparation of the fuel mixture and their effect on power, economy, and safety.
Date: May 1939
Creator: Vohrer, Eugen
System: The UNT Digital Library
Wind-Tunnel Investigation of Ground Effect on Wings With Flaps (open access)

Wind-Tunnel Investigation of Ground Effect on Wings With Flaps

From Summary: "An investigation was conducted in the N.A.C.A. 7- by 10-foot wind tunnel to determine the effect of ground proximity on the aerodynamic characteristics of wings equipped with high-lift devices. A rectangular and a tapered wing were tested without flaps, with a split flap, and with a slotted flap. The ground was represented by a flat plate, completely spanning the tunnel and extending a considerable distance ahead and back of the model. The position of the plate was varied from one-half to three chord lengths below the wing. The results are presented in the form of curves of absolute coefficients, showing the effect of the ground on each wing arrangement."
Date: May 1939
Creator: Recant, Isidore G.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Determination of boundary-layer transition on three symmetrical airfoils in the NACA full-scale wind tunnel (open access)

Determination of boundary-layer transition on three symmetrical airfoils in the NACA full-scale wind tunnel

For the purpose of studying the transition from laminar to turbulent flow, boundary-layer measurements were made in the NACA full-scale wind tunnel on three symmetrical airfoils of NACA 0009, 0012, and 0018 sections. The effects of variations in lift coefficient, Reynolds number, and airfoil thickness on transition were investigated. Air speed in the boundary layer was measured by total-head tubes and by hot wires; a comparison of transition as indicated by the two techniques was obtained. The results indicate no unique value of Reynolds number for the transition, whether the Reynolds number is based upon the distance along the chord or upon the thickness of the boundary layer at the transition point. In general, the transition is not abrupt and occurs in a region that varies in length as a function of the test conditions.
Date: May 26, 1938
Creator: Silverstein, Abe & Becker, John V.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Effect of Compressibility on Eight Full-Scale Propellers Operating in the Take-Off and Climbing Range (open access)

The Effect of Compressibility on Eight Full-Scale Propellers Operating in the Take-Off and Climbing Range

"Tests were made of eight full-scale propellers of different shape at various tip speeds up to about 1,000 feet per second. The range of blade-angle settings investigated was from 10 degrees to 30 degrees at the 0.75 radius. The results indicate that a loss in propulsive efficiency occurred at tip speeds from 0.5 to 0.7 the velocity of sound for the take-off and climbing conditions" (p. 517).
Date: May 18, 1938
Creator: Biermann, David & Hartman, Edwin P.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Compression Struts With Nonprogressively Variable Moment of Inertia (open access)

Compression Struts With Nonprogressively Variable Moment of Inertia

The buckling failure conditions for a bar with nonprogressively variable moment of inertia J(sub n), although constant over length l(sub n), are developed.
Date: May 1938
Creator: Radomski, B.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The effect of air-passage length on the optimum fin spacing for maximum cooling (open access)

The effect of air-passage length on the optimum fin spacing for maximum cooling

The effect on cooling of baffle length with optimum cylinder finning is discussed. Results from tests of several streamlined cylinders are given. It is shown that by employing several baffles the cooling can be increased several times.
Date: May 1938
Creator: Brevoort, Maurice J.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Effect of spark-timing regularity on the knock of engine performance (open access)

Effect of spark-timing regularity on the knock of engine performance

Tests on a high-speed single-cylinder engine are described. The regularity of the spark timing was varied by driving the timer from different engine shafts. A simple and reasonably accurate method of determining the spark timing is described. The results show that irregular spark timing may cause large errors in tests of the knocking properties of fuels. For the engine tested, it was found that a change of one crankshaft degree in spark restart was equivalent to an 0.85 inch Hg change in allowable inlet pressure.
Date: May 1938
Creator: Biermann, Arnold E.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Effects of Simulated Ice Formation on the Aerodynamic Characteristics of an Airfoil (open access)

Effects of Simulated Ice Formation on the Aerodynamic Characteristics of an Airfoil

Report presenting an investigation of the size and distribution of ice particles on the wings of aircraft and how they affect the aerodynamic characteristics. A simulated ice formation was generated from survey information received from aircraft pilots and was tested to determine the impact on the lift characteristics.
Date: May 1938
Creator: Gulick, Beverly G.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Flow Characteristics, Composition, and Some Liquid-Phase Properties of Hydrocarbon Fluids From a "Combination" Well (open access)

Flow Characteristics, Composition, and Some Liquid-Phase Properties of Hydrocarbon Fluids From a "Combination" Well

Report issued by the U.S. Bureau of Mines on the properties of fluids produced from combination wells. The characteristics of test results of these fluids are described and presented. This report includes tables, graphs, illustrations, and photographs.
Date: May 1938
Creator: Eilerts, C. K. & Schellhardt, M. A.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The increase in frictional resistance caused by various types of rivet heads as determined by tests of planing surfaces (open access)

The increase in frictional resistance caused by various types of rivet heads as determined by tests of planing surfaces

"The increase in the frictional resistance of a surface caused by the presence of rivet heads was determined by towing four planing surfaces of the same dimensions. One surface was smooth and represented a surface without rivet heads or one with perfectly flush countersunk rivets. The other three surfaces were each fitted with the same number of full-size rivet heads but of a different type arranged in the same pattern on each surface" (p. 1).
Date: May 1938
Creator: Truscott, Starr & Parkinson, J. B.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Influence of Notches Under Static Stress (open access)

The Influence of Notches Under Static Stress

From the described experiments it is seen that notches are a potential source of strength decrease even under static stress, which the designer must take into consideration. Section I is a general treatment of notch influence under the various types of stresses. Section II treats the influence of notches in thin sheet as is used in airplane construction.
Date: May 1938
Creator: Matthaes, K.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Load Tests on a Stiffened Circular Cylindrical Shell (open access)

Load Tests on a Stiffened Circular Cylindrical Shell

The present report describes tests in which the stress distribution may be determined in a stiffened circular cylindrical shell loaded longitudinally at four symmetrically situated points. As being of particular importance are the cases investigated of groups of bending and arching or convexing forces, respectively. From the stress measurements on the longitudinal stiffeners, the shear stresses and the bulkhead ring stresses in the skin could be evaluated.
Date: May 1938
Creator: Schapitz, E. & Krümling, G.
System: The UNT Digital Library
On the Determination of the Take-Off Characteristics of a Seaplane (open access)

On the Determination of the Take-Off Characteristics of a Seaplane

The present paper presents an attempt to coordinate the available theoretical and experimental data on planing surfaces so as to develop an approximate analytical method for the determination of the water resistance of a seaplane without any preliminary towing tests in the tank.
Date: May 1938
Creator: Perelmuter, A.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Wind-Tunnel Tests of a Clark Y Wing Having Split Flaps With Gaps (open access)

Wind-Tunnel Tests of a Clark Y Wing Having Split Flaps With Gaps

"Tests were made of the Clark Y wing having split flaps with a gap between the flap and the lower surface of the wing. Lift, drag, and pitching moments were measured for the wing with three different sizes of flap. It was found that any gap between the flap and the wing reduced the lift, the drag, and the pitching moments, but that the center-of-pressure movement and the ratio of lift to drag were little affected" (p. 1).
Date: May 1938
Creator: Wenzinger, Carl J.
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Study of Transparent Plastics for use on Aircraft, Special Report (open access)

A Study of Transparent Plastics for use on Aircraft, Special Report

"Various transparent organic plastics, including both commercially available and experimental materials, have been examined to determine their suitability for use as flexible windshields on aircraft, The properties which have been studied include light transmission, haziness, distortion, resistance to weathering, scratch and indentation hardness, impact strength, dimensional stability, resistance to water and various cleaning fluids, bursting strength at normal and low temperatures, and flammability" (p. 1).
Date: May 12, 1937
Creator: Axilrod, Benjamin M. & Kline, Gordon M.
System: The UNT Digital Library