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NASA's Contributions to Aircraft Propulsion https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20180003207 2019-08-29T18:14:05+00:00Z The Power Power The forFlight NASA’s Contributions to Aircraft Propulsion for for Flight Jeremy R. Kinney ThePower for NASA’s Contributions to Aircraft Propulsion Flight Jeremy R. Kinney Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Kinney, Jeremy R., author. Title: The power for flight : NASA’s contributions to aircraft propulsion / Jeremy R. Kinney. Description: Washington, DC : National Aeronautics and Space Administration, [2017] | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2017027182 (print) | LCCN 2017028761 (ebook) | ISBN 9781626830387 (Epub) | ISBN 9781626830370 (hardcover) ) | ISBN 9781626830394 (softcover) Subjects: LCSH: United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration– Research–History. | Airplanes–Jet propulsion–Research–United States– History. | Airplanes–Motors–Research–United States–History. Classification: LCC TL521.312 (ebook) | LCC TL521.312 .K47 2017 (print) | DDC 629.134/35072073–dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017027182 Copyright © 2017 by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The opinions expressed in this volume are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official positions of the United States Government or of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. This publication is available as a free download at http://www.nasa.gov/ebooks National Aeronautics and Space Administration Washington, DC Table of Contents Dedication v Acknowledgments vi Foreword vii Chapter 1: The NACA and Aircraft Propulsion, 1915–1958.................................1 Chapter 2: NASA Gets to Work, 1958–1975 ..................................................... 49 Chapter 3: The Shift Toward Commercial Aviation, 1966–1975 ...................... 73 Chapter 4: The Quest for Propulsive Efficiency, 1976–1989 ......................... 103 Chapter 5: Propulsion Control Enters the Computer Era, 1976–1998 ........... 139 Chapter 6: Transiting to a New Century, 1990–2008 ..................................... 167 Chapter 7: Toward the Future ........................................................................ 217 Abbreviations 233 Bibliography 239 About the Author 273 Index 275 iii Dedication To Cheryl and Piper v Acknowledgments Any author is in debt to many who help with the research and writing process. I wish to thank series editor Dr. Richard P. Hallion for asking me to participate in this project and for providing help and understanding at critical moments during my research and preparation of the final manuscript. Tony Springer of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate offered stalwart help and thoughtful counsel as he oversaw this series and my participation in it. I received invaluable assistance from other NASA staff members. At Headquarters in Washington, DC, I would like to thank archivists Jane Odom, Colin Fries, and John Hargenrader of the History Program Office and Gwen Pitman of the Photo Library. At the Glenn Research Center, Robert Arrighi and Marvin Smith of the History Office and Chief Dhanireddy R. Reddy and Deputy Chief Dennis Huff of the Aeropropulsion Division were of extraordi- nary help. James Banke served as a thoughtful commentator on the manuscript. Bob van der Linden, Howard Wesoky, Melissa Keiser, and Allan Janus of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC, provided important support. For assistance with photographs held by industry, Matthew Benvie of General Electric, Marie Force of Delta Airlines, Mary E. Kane of Boeing, and Judy Quinlan of Northrop Grumman facilitated access. The research and writing of history is a communal effort, and historians necessarily stand on the shoulders and exploit the work of others who have gone on before. I have acknowledged in the text and the bibliography the authors of several critical previous works that have addressed the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA)/NASA legacy in aircraft propulsion. This book would not have been possible without the foundation provided by these individuals. Nevertheless, readers should realize that all errors of fact, inter- pretation, or omission are solely my own. My wife, Cheryl, has been a devoted supporter and a beloved taskmaster as I worked to manage both personal and professional schedules. We welcomed our beautiful daughter, Piper, during the writing of this book, and I greatly love and appreciate them both for so unselfishly letting me dedicate myself to this project over many months, days, and evenings. vi Foreword TheNew York Times announced America’s entry into the “long awaited” Jet Age when a Pan American (Pan Am) World Airways Boeing 707 airliner left New York for Paris on October 26, 1958. Powered by four turbojet engines, the 707 offered speed, more nonstop flights, and a smoother and quieter travel experi- ence compared to newly antiquated propeller airliners. With the Champs- Élysées only 6 hours away, humankind had entered into a new and exciting age in which the shrinking of the world for good was no longer a daydream.1 Fifty years later, the New York Times declared the second coming of a “cleaner, leaner” Jet Age. Decades-old concerns over fuel efficiency, noise, and emissions shaped this new age as the aviation industry had the world poised for “a revolution in jet engines.”2 Refined turbofans incorporating the latest innovations would ensure that aviation would continue to enable a worldwide transportation network. At the root of many of the advances over the preceding 50 years was the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). On October 1, 1958, just a few weeks before the flight of that Pan Am 707, NASA came into existence. Tasked with establishing a national space program as part of a Cold War competition between the United States and the Soviet Union, NASA is often remembered in popular memory first for putting the first human beings on the Moon in July 1969, followed by running the suc- cessful 30-year Space Shuttle Program and by landing the Rover Curiosity on Mars in August 2012. What many people do not recognize is the crucial role the first “A” in NASA played in the development of aircraft since the Agency’s inception. Innovations shaping the aerodynamic design, efficient operation, and overall safety of aircraft made NASA a vital element of the American avia- tion industry even though they remained unknown to the public.3 This is the story of one facet of NASA’s many contributions to commercial, military, and general aviation: the development of aircraft propulsion technology, which provides the power for flight. NASA’s involvement in the development and refinement of aircraft pro- pulsion technologies from 1958 to 2008 is important for three reasons. First, at the most basic level, NASA’s propulsion specialists pushed the boundar- ies of the design of power plants for both subsonic and supersonic flight. Innovations that emerged from NASA programs included ultra-high-bypass vii The Power for Flight turbofans; advanced turboprops; and refined systems reflecting the desire for more efficient, quieter, cleaner, and safer engines. The second reason explains how NASA achieved that success. The Agency played a major role as an innova- tor, facilitator, collaborator, and leader as it interacted with industry and other Federal agencies, primarily the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Department of Defense (DOD). NASA’s involvement in aircraft propulsion as, in the words of longtime propulsion specialist Dennis Huff, a “technol- ogy broker” highlights the continual presence of the Federal Government in the creation of technology.4 The third reason is that, as a result of NASA’s efforts, the U.S. aircraft propulsion industry has led the world consistently in the development of new technology with improved performance, durability, environmental compatibility, and safety.5 Overall sales of military, commercial, and general aviation engines accounted for 25 percent of the entire aviation industry’s revenues for 2006.6 NASA has four major aeronautical centers that deal with aircraft propulsion issues based on their collective expertise: Langley Research Center in Virginia, Ames Research Center and Armstrong Flight Research Center in California, and Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field in Ohio. Glenn is NASA’s pri- mary propulsion facility.7 Glenn’s research facilities include five wind tun- nels, the Aero-Acoustic Propulsion Laboratory, the Engine Research Building, the Propulsion Systems Laboratory, and the Flight Research Building.8 More importantly, it is the specialists of Glenn and the other Centers who have served at the core of the Administration’s work in aircraft propulsion. The work of all propulsion researchers at NASA falls under the programs of the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, with an overall goal to advance breakthrough aerospace technologies. Airplanes incorporate synergistic technologies that embody four primary systems: aerodynamics, propulsion, structures, and control. The development of these internal systems into an overall practical and symbiotic system has been at the core of the airplane’s success over the course of the 20th century. Aircraft designers must maintain a balance among lift, drag, thrust, and weight. In other words, without an equal balance among the four forces of flight, where the wings and propulsion system must generate enough lift and thrust to overcome
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