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Wind-Tunnel Investigations of Blunt-Body Drag Reduction Using Forebody Surface RoughnessThis paper presents results of wind-tunnel tests that demonstrate a novel drag reduction technique for blunt-based vehicles. For these tests, the forebody roughness of a blunt-based model was modified using micomachined surface overlays. As forebody roughness increases, boundary layer at the model aft thickens and reduces the shearing effect of external flow on the separated flow behind the base region, resulting in reduced base drag. For vehicle configurations with large base drag, existing data predict that a small increment in forebody friction drag will result in a relatively large decrease in base drag. If the added increment in forebody skin drag is optimized with respect to base drag, reducing the total drag of the configuration is possible. The wind-tunnel tests results conclusively demonstrate the existence of a forebody dragbase drag optimal point. The data demonstrate that the base drag coefficient corresponding to the drag minimum lies between 0.225 and 0.275, referenced to the base area. Most importantly, the data show a drag reduction of approximately 15% when the drag optimum is reached. When this drag reduction is scaled to the X-33 base area, drag savings approaching 45,000 N (10,000 lbf) can be realized.
Document ID
20010014167
Acquisition Source
Armstrong Flight Research Center
Document Type
Preprint (Draft being sent to journal)
Authors
Whitmore, Stephen A. (NASA Dryden Flight Research Center Edwards, CA United States)
Sprague, Stephanie (Kansas Univ. Lawrence, KS United States)
Naughton, Jonathan W. (Wyoming Univ. Laramie, WY United States)
Curry, Robert E.
Date Acquired
September 7, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 2001
Subject Category
Aircraft Design, Testing And Performance
Report/Patent Number
NASA/TM-2001-210390
AIAA Paper 2001-0252
NAS 1.15:210390
H-2439
Meeting Information
Meeting: Aerospace Sciences
Location: Reno, NV
Country: United States
Start Date: January 8, 2001
End Date: January 11, 2001
Sponsors: American Inst. of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Funding Number(s)
PROJECT: RTOP 718-20-00-E8-53
PROJECT: RTOP 529-35-24-M1-00-RR
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Public Use Permitted.

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