This paper evaluates a time marching simulation method for flutter which is based on a solution of the Euler equations and a linear modal structural model. Jameson’s pseudo time method is used for the time stepping, allowing sequencing errors to be avoided without incurring additional computational cost. Transfinite interpolation of displacements is used for grid regeneration and a constant volume transformation for inter-grid interpolation. The flow pseudo steady state is calculated using an unfactored implicit method which features a Krylov subspace solution of an approximately linearised system. The spatial discretisation is made using Osher’s approximate Riemann solver with MUSCL interpolation. The method is evaluated against available results for the AGARD 445.6 wing. This wing, which is made of laminated mahogany, was tested at NASA Langley in the 1960s and has been the standard test case for simulation methods ever since. The structural model in the current work was built in NASTRAN using homogeneous plate elements. The comparisons show good agreement for the prediction of flutter boundaries. The solution method allows larger time steps to be taken than other methods.

Surface pressure measurements on the CAST-10-2/DOA 2 aerofoil, conducted in the IAR l.5m wind tunnel and supported by CFD simulations, are used to validate some new theoretical analyses of transonic wall interference. Based on the transonic freeze principle, it is shown that the stream Mach number correction is indeterminate near Mach one.

Future air traffic control will be based on the distributed processing environment. This leads to the use of high-speed optical fibre networks and systems to connect many processors (for both general and specific purposes) and workstations in the air traffic control centres. To efficiently support such applications, communication systems should be capable of multirate operations. To achieve this aim, we propose an efficient optical fibre code-division multiplexing (OF-CDM) technique that can support multirate data communications without any increase of system complexity when compared with the equal-rate operation case. Unlike conventional optical orthogonal codes (OOCs), the use of our proposed unequal-length OOCs can eliminate any possible violation of the minimum cross-and auto-correlation constraint (i.e. ‘1’) in multirate OF-CDM systems. Thus, using unequal-length OOCs can achieve a better bandwidth efficiency and a lower bit error rate for multirate transmissions than employing conventional OOCs. Moreover, we present the design of cost-effective OF-CDM transmitters for multirate data transmissions. The proposed systems can be also employed to support future airborne real-time data distributions and computer interconnects.

A three dimensional Navier-Stokes solver is presented for calculating the hovering rotor flowfield using Osher's approximate Riemann solver. The Navier-Stokes equations are recast in the attached blade relative system using relative flow velocities as variables. Multiblock techniques are used to obtain a structured grid around the blade. A modified MUSCL scheme is proposed to alleviate the inaccuracy in the discretisation of the relative variable formulation. The calculations are performed for a two-bladed model rotor on C-H, O-O and C-H cylindrical grid topologies respectively. Computational solutions show reasonably good agreement with the experimental data for different lifting cases. The difficulty and suitability of different grid topologies for capturing the tip vortex is illustrated. The differences between Euler and Navier-Stokes solutions and between wake modelling and wake capturing approaches are also revealed. The results indicate that the relative velocity approach can give reasonable results for hovering rotor flowfields if due care is taken in minimising possible numerical errors.

The discrete element method is modified so as to simulate the movement of passengers evacuating an aircraft. The results display reasonable agreement with timed trials. However, by focusing on the 1985 Manchester air disaster where only some of the exits could be opened and only then a considerable time after landing, it is argued that the certification procedures are inadequate.

A constant temperature hot-wire anemometer enabling automatic rapid scanning of the wire overheat was built to perform free stream disturbance measurements in the shock wind tunnel of the Institute for Aerodynamics and Gasdynamics at Stuttgart University. It is shown that such a system brings real advantages in terms of testing time. The change of bridge dynamic behaviour with wire temperature is taken into account by measuring the bridge frequency response with a very fast electrical test and postprocessing the data. The method of operation is validated in a supersonic suck down wind tunnel and a comparison with a commercial constant temperature bridge shows good agreement. Results of free stream disturbance measurements in a short duration supersonic wind tunnel of 120ms testing time are presented.

An experimental investigation has been carried out to study the effect of notches on the flow and noise characteristics of 2:1 elliptic-slot jets. The effect of variation in notch geometry is also investigated. The presence of the notch is found to provide low-velocity regions in the notched-minor-axis plane thereby intensifying the jet growth along that plane. The interaction of these low-velocity regions with the mean flow results in shorter core-lengths. At under-expansion, the shock-cell lengths are weakened considerably in notched jets resulting in significant reductions in the overall jet noise level. Azimuthal directivity of elliptic jets indicate higher noise intensity radiated along major-axis ends relative to minor-axis sides. Notches seem to circumferentially modify the noise emission characteristics and significantly bring down the noise levels along major-axis-unnotched plane. Polar directivity indicates reduction in both shock noise and jet mixing noise in the forward quadrant.

In the present investigation, the results obtained during the ground vibration tests of a closed-loop control system conducted on a full-scale fighter to attenuate vertical fin buffeting response using strain actuation are presented. The experimental results are supported by numerical analyses using a finite element aeroelastic model of the structure. Two groups of actuators consisting of piezoelectric elements distributed over the structure were designed to achieve authority over the first and second modes of the vertical fin. The control laws were synthesised using the linear quadratic Gaussian (LQG) method for a time-invariant two-input, two-output (2x2 MIMO) control system. Three different pairs of sensors including strain gauges and accelerometers at different locations were used to close the feedback loop. The results demonstrated that actual reductions of up to 18% in the root-mean-square (RMS) values of the fin dynamic response measured by the strain transducer at the critical point for fatigue at the root were achieved for the second mode under the most severe buffet condition.

A flush air data system uses surface pressure measurements to obtain speed and aerodynamic orientation of a flight vehicle. This paper investigates the use of a neural network to calibrate the air data system on a low-observable aircraft forebody with 22 pressure tappings. Wind tunnel data were obtained for between 0 and 25° angle of attack, 0 to 10° sideslip for speeds of 32, 37 and 45ms-1. Experimental data were used to train multilayer perceptron neural networks. A calibration accuracy of 0·322ms-1, 0·811° and 0·552° for speed, alpha and beta respectively was achieved just using the first five tappings on the nose cone. Increasing the number of tappings used as inputs to the neural network reduces the calibration error. A neural network with 22 inputs gives a best accuracy of 0·095ms-1, 0·15° and 0·085° for speed, α and β respectively. Trained networks show poor robustness to single sensor failures. Robustness is improved by preprocessing input data with an autoassociative network or by introducing sensor redundancy.

The flow generated by a synthetic jet actuator with a circular orifice is investigated experimentally and computationally. The experimental data and computational predictions are in fair to good agreement with each other and with the theory for a steady turbulent jet. It is found, however, that the synthetic jet establishes itself much more rapidly than the steady jet, primarily because of turbulent dissipation. The oscillatory nature of synthetic jet flow also gives rise to a much greater entrainment of ambient fluid compared with the case of a steady jet. Finally, self-similarity seems to be established when the oscillations introduced by the actuator are reduced to negligible levels.

Multidisciplinary design optimisation (MDO) provides a framework for the timely exchange of data necessary to support the highly integrated tasks typical of aerospace design. This will help reduce the duration of the design cycle and improve efficiency of the final product. Well implemented MDO capabilities will play an increasingly important role in DERA's activities to support the definition of future system requirements and the assessment of new equipment.

The framework in which an MDO approach is realised must be flexible and accommodate the diverse range of individual discipline-based tools that contribute to the overall process. This paper describes DERA's activity within the EC Framework IV ‘FRONTIER’ project to investigate the use of modern graphical user interface (GUI) methods and genetic algorithms (GAs) for the combined aerodynamic and structural design of a modern combat aircraft. The application of the techniques to identify a Pareto frontier in high level design objective space that represents the boundary beyond which improvements cannot be made without sacrificing one or other aspect of overall aircraft performance is described. The scope of the methods as an aid during the definition of system requirements and for the evaluation of trade-offs during the concept assessment stage of a project is discussed.

Coatings of chiral-nematic liquid crystals are known to change colour under different levels of surface shear stress. In this study, the liquid crystal coating was used to provide information about flow separation and reattachment on a backward facing step and a delta wing respectively. The tests were carried out at a free-stream velocity of 25ms-1. The Reynolds number based on the step height of the backward facing step is 16,000 and based on the chord length of the delta wing is 270,000. The study revealed that the locations of boundary-layer separation and reattachment can be identified from spatial variations in the surface colour. Agreement was obtained between the results acquired from liquid crystal and surface oil flow technique. The variation in hue was used to improve the determination on the location of flow characteristics. This study showed that the liquid crystal coating is an effective method for the qualitative study of separated flow characteristics.

For the definition of the acccuracy of an internal strain gauge balance no general agreement exists. So it is difficult or even impossible, to compare balances from different manufacturers or balances used at different places.

Since most wind tunnel tests at least in the aeronautical field are done on a reference basis i.e. the results are compared with earlier results achieved with a more or less different configuration, repeatability is at least as important as absolute accuracy or even more important. So also repeatability, which in a physical sense is quite different from accuracy, must be defined and proven for each balance.

With the examples of several balances manufactured for the DNW (Deutsch-Niederländischer Windkanal) and ETW (European transonic tunnel) accuracy and repeatability definitions are discussed.

A proposal for a generally binding definition of accuracy and repeatability is given.

This paper presents and illustrates an interpolation method for the exchange of displacement data between fluid and structural meshes in a fluid-structure interaction simulation. The method is a local method where element volume conservation is central, and does not rely on information from the structural model. Results are evaluated for several two and three dimensional problems. Comparisons with the infinite plate spline method show that the new method gives a more realistic representation of the recovered surface than currently used methods.