Jesse Trujillo | Iowa State University
Ames Research Center | June 5 – August 11, 2017
WHAT WERE THE GOALS OF THE PROJECT?
The goal of this project was to produce CFD data to be used as experimental predictions for future wind tunnel tests of the 609 rotor at the National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Complex.
DESCRIBE WHAT YOU DID DURING THE THE INTERNSHIP.
Since wind tunnel experiments cannot perfectly replicate real flight conditions, wind tunnel wall effects will be analyzed especially for edgewise flight. RotCFD results will be compared to wind tunnel test data, if available before the conclusion of the summer session. Comparing test data to simulated data is a conventional technique for case validation, especially for mid-fidelity software such as RotCFD. Finally, a data report will be started for the JVX tests, as well as documentation made for sorting through information in the Rotor Data Reduction System database.
WHAT WERE YOUR RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS?
The CFD data produced by the simulations performed will be used as a reference when performing future wind tunnel tests of the 609 rotor. Expected values such as thrust and torque can be taken from these simulations.
WHAT LESSONS DID YOU LEARN THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS?
This internship was a blast. Learning how to coordinate working on my project and helping out with other parts of the branch was important to success. Working in the aeromechanics branch provides a lot of interaction with some brilliant engineers and engineering students. The opportunities for learning seemed almost endless, and my mentor Dr. William Warmbrodt was an excellent role model and motivator throughout the internship.