Earl A. Price (Jr.)
Published: 1981
Total Pages: 54
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An experimental program was conducted to parametrically study the interference on an afterbody model that would be produced by the aft-support blade used with a wingtip support system. Geometric variables included the blade axial location, thickness, span, chord, and leading- and trailing-edge contours. Data were obtained over the Mach number range from 0.6 to 1.2 with the model at zero angle of attack. Interference was evaluated by comparing afterbody drag from a reference configuration, which had the aft-support blade removed, to the various configurations with a blade installed. A reasonable correlation of the blade interference effects on the afterbody drag coefficient was obtained, which included the influence of support blade axial position and blockage. Decreasing blade leading-edge bluntness by a factor of two resulted in a significant reduction of interference in the Mach number range from 0.9 to 1.1. Significantly greater interference was measured without jet flow than with jet flow. It is shown that a Euler equation computer code is a useful tool for the design of minimum interference support systems. (Author).