Experimental study of flow field distribution over a generic cranked double delta wing

The flow fields over a generic cranked double delta wing were investigated. Pressure and velocity distributions were obtained using a Pitot tube and a hot wire anemometer. Two different leading edge shapes, namely ‘‘sharp" and ‘‘round", were applied to the wing. The wing had two sweep angles of 55° and 30°. The experiments were conducted in a closed circuit wind tunnel at velocity 20 m/s and angles of attack of 5°–20° with the step of 5°. The Reynolds number of the model was about 2 ×10~5 according to the root chord. A dual vortex structure was formed above the wing surface. A pressure drop occurred at the vortex core and the root mean square of the measured velocity increased at the core of the vortices, reflecting the instability of the flow in that region. The magnitude of power spectral density increased strongly in spanwise direction and had the maximum value at the vortex core. By increasing the angle of attack, the pressure drop increased and the vortices became wider; the vortices moved inboard along the wing, and away from the surface; the flow separation was initiated from the outer portion of the wing and developed to its inner part. The vortices of the wing of the sharp leading edge were stronger than those of the round one.     

Effects of coarse riblets on air flow structures over a slender delta wing using particle image velocimetry

This research investigates the aerodynamic performance and flow characteristics of a delta wing with 65° sweep angle and with coarse axial riblets,and then compares with that of a smooth-surface delta wing.Particle Image Velocimetry(PIV)were utilized to visualize the flow over the wing at 6 cross-sections upright to the wing surface and parallel to the wing span,as well as 3 longitudinal sections on the leading edge,symmetry plane,and a plane between them at Angles of Attack(AOA)=20°and 30°and Re=1.2×10~5,2.4×10~5,and 3.6×10~5.The effects of the riblets were studied on the vortices diameter,vortex breakdown location,vortices distance from the wing surface,flow lines pattern nearby the wing,circulation distribution,and separation.The results show that the textured model has a positive effect on some of the parameters related to drag reduction and lift increase.The riblets increase the flow momentum near the wing’s upper surface except near the apex.They also increase the flow momentum behind the wing.     

Flow separation control on swept wing with nanosecond pulse driven DBD plasma actuators

A 15° swept wing with dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuator is designed.Experimental study of flow separation control with nanosecond pulsed plasma actuation is performed at flow velocity up to 40 m/s. The effects of the actuation frequency and voltage on the aerodynamic performance of the swept wing are evaluated by the balanced force and pressure measurements in the wind tunnel. At last, the performances on separation flow control of the three types of actuators with plane and saw-toothed exposed electrodes are compared. The optimal actuation frequency for the flow separation control on the swept wing is detected, namely the reduced frequency is 0.775, which is different from 2-D airfoil separation control. There exists a threshold voltage for the low swept wing flow control. Before the threshold voltage, as the actuation voltage increases, the control effects become better. The maximum lift is increased by 23.1% with the drag decreased by 22.4% at 14°, compared with the base line. However, the best effects are obtained on actuator with plane exposed electrode in the low-speed experiment and the abilities of saw-toothed actuators are expected to be verified under high-speed conditions.     

Numerical investigation of unsteady vortex breakdown past 80°/65° double-delta wing

An improved delayed detached eddy simulation （IDDES） method based on the k-x-SST （shear stress transport） turbulence model was applied to predict the unsteady vortex breakdown past an 80o/65o double-delta wing （DDW）, where the angles of attack （AOAs） range from 30° to 40°. Firstly, the IDDES model and the relative numerical methods were validated by simulating the massively separated flow around an NACA0021 straight wing at the AOA of 60°. The fluctuation properties of the lift and pressure coefficients were analyzed and compared with the available measurements. For the DDW case, the computations were compared with such mea-surements as the mean lift, drag, pitching moment, pressure coefficients and breakdown locations. Furthermore, the unsteady properties were investigated in detail, such as the frequencies of force and moments, pressure fluctuation on the upper surface, typical vortex breakdown patterns at three moments, and the distributions of kinetic turbulence energy at a stream wise section. Two dominated modes are observed, in which their Strouhal numbers are 1.0 at the AOAs of 30°, 32° and 34° and 0.7 at the AOAs of 36o, 38° and 40°. The breakdown vortex always moves upstream and downstream and its types change alternatively. Furthermore, the vortex can be identified as breakdown or not through the mean pressure, root mean square of pressure, or even through correlation analysis.     

Numerical investigation of aerodynamic flow actuation produced by surface plasma actuator on 2D oscillating airfoil

Numerical simulation of unsteady flow control over an oscillating NACA0012 airfoil is investigated. Flow actuation of a turbulent flow over the airfoil is provided by low current DC surface glow discharge plasma actuator which is analytically modeled as an ion pressure force produced in the cathode sheath region. The modeled plasma actuator has an induced pressure force of about 2 k Pa under a typical experiment condition and is placed on the airfoil surface at 0% chord length and/or at 10% chord length. The plasma actuator at deep-stall angles(from 5° to 25°) is able to slightly delay a dynamic stall and to weaken a pressure fluctuation in down-stroke motion. As a result, the wake region is reduced. The actuation effect varies with different plasma pulse frequencies, actuator locations and reduced frequencies. A lift coefficient can increase up to 70% by a selective operation of the plasma actuator with various plasma frequencies and locations as the angle of attack changes. Active flow control which is a key advantageous feature of the plasma actuator reveals that a dynamic stall phenomenon can be controlled by the surface plasma actuator with less power consumption if a careful control scheme of the plasma actuator is employed with the optimized plasma pulse frequency and actuator location corresponding to a dynamic change in reduced frequency.     

Leading-edge flow separation control over an airfoil using a symmetrical dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuator

In order to promote an in-depth understanding of the mechanism of leading-edge flow separation control over an airfoil using a symmetrical Dielectric Barrier Discharge(DBD) plasma actuator excited by a steady-mode excitation, an experimental investigation of an SC(2)-0714 supercritical airfoil with a symmetrical DBD plasma actuator was performed in a closed chamber and a low-speed wind tunnel. The plasma actuator was mounted at the leading edge of the airfoil.Time-resolved Particle Image Velocimetry(PIV) results of the near-wall region in quiescent air suggested that the symmetrical DBD plasma actuator could induce some coherent structures in the separated shear layer, and these structures were linked to a dominant frequency of f0= 39 Hz when the peak-to-peak voltage of the plasma actuator was 9.8 kV. In addition, an analysis of flow structures without and with plasma actuation around the upper side of the airfoil at an angle of attack of18° for a wind speed of 3 m/s(Reynolds number Re = 20000) indicated that the dynamic process of leading-edge flow separation control over an airfoil could be divided into three stages. Initially, this plasma actuator could reinforce the shedding vortices in the separated shear layer. Then, these vortical structures could deflect the separated flow towards the wall by promoting the mixing between the outside flow with a high kinetic energy and the flow near the surface. After that, the plasma actuator induced a series of rolling vortices in the vicinity of the suction side of the airfoil, and these vortical structures could transfer momentum from the leading edge of the airfoil to the separated region, resulting in a reattachment of the separated flow around the airfoil.     

Instability analysis and drag coefficient prediction on a swept RAE2822 wing with constant lift coefficient

Swept wing is widely used in civil aircraft,whose airfoil is chosen,designed and optimized to increase the cruise speed and decrease the drag coefficient.The parameters of swept wing,such as sweep angle and angle of attack,are determined according to the cruise lift coefficient requirement,and the drag coefficient is expected to be predicted accurately,which involves the instability characteristics and transition position of the flow.The pressure coefficient of the RAE2822 wing with given constant lift coefficient is obtained by solving the three-dimensional Navier-Stokes equation numerically,and then the mean flow is calculated by solving the boundary layer(BL) equation with spectral method.The cross-flow instability characteristic of boundary layer of swept wing in the windward and leeward is analyzed by linear stability theory(LST),and the transition position is predicted by eNmethod.The drag coefficient is numerically predicted by introducing a laminar/turbulent indicator.A simple approach to calculate the lift coefficient of swept wing is proposed.It is found that there is a quantitative relationship between the angle of attack and sweep angle when the lift coefficient keeps constant;when the angle of attack is small,the flow on the leeward of the wing is stable.when the angle of attack is larger than 3°,the flow becomes unstable quickly;with the increase of sweep angle or angle of attack the disturbance on the windward becomes more unstable,leading to the moving forward of the transition position to the leading edge of the wing;the drag coefficient has two significant jumping growth due to the successive occurrence of transition in the windward and the leeward;the optimal range of sweep angle for civil aircraft is suggested.     

An experimental investigation on static directional stability

A generic aircraft usually loses its static directional stability at moderate angle of attack (typically 20–30?). In this research, wind tunnel studies were performed using an aircraft model with moderate swept wing and a conventional vertical tail. The purpose of this study was to investigate flow mechanisms responsible for static directional stability. Measurements of force, surface pressure and spatial flow field were carried out for angles of attack from 0? to 46? and sideslip angles from ?8? to 8?. Results of the wind tunnel experiments show that the vertical tail is the main contributor to static directional stability, while the fuselage is the main contributor to static directional instabil-ity of the model. In the sideslip attitude for moderate angles of attack, the fuselage vortex and the wing vortex merged together and changed asymmetrically as angle of attack increased on the wind-ward side and leeward side of the vertical tail. The separated asymmetrical vortex flow around the vertical tail is the main reason for reduction in the static directional stability. Compared with the wing vortices, the fuselage vortices are more concentrated and closer to the vertical tail, so the yaw-ing moment of vertical tail is more unstable than that when the wings are absent. On the other hand, the attached asymmetrical flow over the fuselage in sideslip leads to the static directional instability of the fuselage being exacerbated. It is mainly due to the predominant model contour blockage effect on the windward side flow over the model in sideslip, which is strongly affected by angle of attack.     

Supersonic flow over a pitching delta wing using surface pressure measurements and numerical simulations

Experimental and numerical methods were applied to investigating high subsonic and supersonic flows over a 60° swept delta wing in fixed state and pitching oscillation.Static pressure coefficient distributions over the wing leeward surface and the hysteresis loops of pressure coefficient versus angle of attack at the sensor locations were obtained by wind tunnel tests.Similar results were obtained by numerical simulations which agreed well with the experiments.Flow structure around the wing was also demonstrated by the numerical simulation.Effects of Mach number and angle of attack on pressure distribution curves in static tests were investigated.Effects of various oscillation parameters including Mach number, mean angle of attack, pitching amplitude and frequency on hysteresis loops were investigated in dynamic tests and the associated physical mechanisms were discussed.Vortex breakdown phenomenon over the wing was identified at high angles of attack using the pressure coefficient curves and hysteresis loops, and its effects on the flow features were discussed.     

An experimental investigation on static directiona stability

A generic aircraft usually loses its static directional stability at moderate angle of attack(typically 20–30°). In this research, wind tunnel studies were performed using an aircraft model with moderate swept wing and a conventional vertical tail. The purpose of this study was to investigate flow mechanisms responsible for static directional stability. Measurements of force, surface pressure and spatial flow field were carried out for angles of attack from 0° to 46° and sideslip angles from-8° to 8°. Results of the wind tunnel experiments show that the vertical tail is the main contributor to static directional stability, while the fuselage is the main contributor to static directional instability of the model. In the sideslip attitude for moderate angles of attack, the fuselage vortex and the wing vortex merged together and changed asymmetrically as angle of attack increased on the windward side and leeward side of the vertical tail. The separated asymmetrical vortex flow around the vertical tail is the main reason for reduction in the static directional stability. Compared with the wing vortices, the fuselage vortices are more concentrated and closer to the vertical tail, so the yawing moment of vertical tail is more unstable than that when the wings are absent. On the other hand,the attached asymmetrical flow over the fuselage in sideslip leads to the static directional instability of the fuselage being exacerbated. It is mainly due to the predominant model contour blockage effect on the windward side flow over the model in sideslip, which is strongly affected by angle of attack.     

Effects of wing flexibility on aerodynamic performance of an aircraft model

The low-speed wind tunnel experiment is carried out on a simplified aircraft model to explore the influence of wing flexibility on the aircraft aerodynamic performance. The investigation involves the measurements of force, membrane deformation and velocity field at Reynolds number of 5.4 × 10⁴–1.1 × 10⁵. In the lift curves, two peaks are observed. The first peak, corresponding to the stall, is sensitive to the wing flexibility much more than the second peak, which nearly keeps constant. For the optimal case, in comparison with the rigid wing model, the delayed stall of nearly 5° is achieved, and the relative lift increment is about 90%. It is revealed that the lift enhanced region corresponds to the larger deformation and stronger vibration, which leads to stronger flow mixing near the flexible wing surface. Thereby, the leading-edge separation is suppressed, and the aerodynamic performance is improved significantly. Furthermore, the effects of sweep angle and Reynolds number on the aerodynamic characteristics of flexible wing are also presented.     

可变正弦前缘对直机翼气动性能影响的研究

通过风洞测力实验,研究了可变正弦前缘对直机翼气动性能的影响。可变正弦前缘为平板式,安装于NACA0015直机翼的前驻点处,并能自由伸展与缩回。风洞实验结果表明：加装可变正弦前缘后,直机翼呈现出缓失速特性,失速后的升力系数均有不同程度的提高,大迎角下的气动性能得到改善。可变正弦前缘伸展长度对气动性能的影响研究表明,其伸展长度是影响机翼气动性能的重要参数,只有伸展长度较小时,才能获得较好的气动性能。     

Regularities between kinematic and aerodynamic characteristics of flexible membrane wing

The kinematic characteristics of flexible membrane wing have vital influences on its aerodynamic characteristics. To deeply explore the regularities between them, time-resolved aerodynamic forces and deformations at different aeroelastic parameters and angles of attack (α) were measured synchronously by wind tunnel experiments. The membrane motion can be mainly divided into two states at α > 0° with various lift-enhancement regularities: Deformed-Steady State (DSS) at pre-stall, and Dynamic Balance State (DBS) at around stall and post-stall. Besides, the mean camber, maximum vibration amplitude, and lift coefficient almost reach their maxima simultaneously within the DBS region. By introducing momentum coefficient C_μ of membrane vibration, positive correlation among amplitude, momentum and lift is successfully established, and the lift-enhancement mechanism of membrane vibration is revealed. Moreover, it is newly and surprisingly found that at different vibration modes, the maximum vibration amplitude and root mean square of vibration velocity present positive and linear correlation with different slopes, and their chordwise locations are basically consistent. Therefore, novel ideas for active control of flexible wing are proposed: by controlling the vibration amplitude, frequency, and mode, while selecting the specific chordwise locations for intensive excitation, C_μ can be efficiently increased. Ultimately, the aerodynamic performance will be improved.     

Aerodynamic characteristics of morphing wing with flexible leading-edge

The morphing wing can improve the flight performance during different phases. However, research has been subject to limitations in aerodynamic characteristics of the morphing wing with a flexible leading-edge. The computational fluid dynamic method and dynamic mesh were used to simulate the continuous morphing of the flexible leading-edge. After comparing the steady aerodynamic characteristics of morphing and conventional wings, this study examined the unsteady aerodynamic characteristics of morphing wings with upward and downward deflections of the leading-edge at different frequencies. The numerical results show that for the steady aerodynamic, the leading-edge deflection mainly affects the stall characteristic. The downward deflection of the leading-edge increases the stall angle of attack and nose-down pitching moment. The results are opposite for the upward deflection. For the unsteady aerodynamic, at a small angle of attack, the transient lift coefficient of the upward deflection, growing with the increase of deflection frequency, is larger than that of the static case. The transient lift coefficient of the downward deflection, decreasing with the increase of deflection frequency, is smaller than that of the static case. However, at a large angle of attack, an opposite effect of deflection frequency on the transient lift coefficient was demonstrated. The transient lift coefficient is larger than that of the static case when the leading edge is in the nose-up stage, and lower than that of the static one in the nose-down stage.     

环量控制机翼增升及滚转控制特性研究

环量控制作为一种高效的主动流动控制技术,在飞行器的气动改善、姿态控制方面具有巨大潜力.本文设计一套可以实现向下吹气的环量控制装置,并将其应用于飞行器进行气动控制.首先,通过数值模拟选取环量控制参数,同时分析环量控制翼型的气动特性.通过风洞实验,对同尺寸常规舵面模型和带有环量控制装置的模型进行气动力和气动力矩研究;采用粒...     

齐莫曼翼与反齐莫曼翼空间流场测量对比分析

在低速风洞内,分别对齐莫曼翼和反齐莫曼翼的气动特性进行了测量,并应用PIV测试技术测量了两种微型飞行器机翼的空间流场,给出了空间流场的速度矢量图、涡量图和流线图。通过对比分析给出了两种机翼气动特性产生差别的主要流动机理。     

Improving aircraft aerodynamic performance with bionic wing obtained by ice shape modulation

For Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) with limited electrical power to achieve effectively anti-/de-icing at the leading edge of the wing, a strategy of ice shape modulation was proposed. Isolated simulated ice shape pieces printed by 3D printing technology are mounted on a NACA0012 finite wing model, and its lift/drag coefficients and suction-side velocity fields are measured by the six-component force balance and the Particle Imaging Velocimetry (PIV), respectively. The ratio of the spanwise length of a single ice shape piece to chord length and the spanwise length of the non-icing area between the two adjacent single ice shape pieces are defined as dimensionless ice shape length (w/c) and dimensionless modulation ratio (w/λ), respectively. The results indicate that for a fixed w/λ, the wing lift coefficient first increases and then drops with increasing w/c, and a peak value exists when w/c is between 0.1 and 0.2. The lower the w/λ is, the higher the wing lift coefficient will be. The periodical variation of the flow separation area along the spanwise direction is attributed on the one hand to the acceleration effect of the flow field in the non-icing area which reduces the separation area, and on the other hand to the cross-flow caused by the streamwise vortices from the non-icing area to the icing area which promotes the mixing of the flow field (similar to vortex generators). The obtained modulation law is verified through flight tests and provides guidance for the use of ice shape modulation scheme for UAVs that cannot be completely anti-/de-icing under severe weather conditions.     

基于扇翼机翼升推力机理的吹气机翼研究

基于对扇翼飞行器升推力产生机理的数值计算与分析，提出了一种扇翼飞行器机翼的替代方案——吹气机翼。分析了扇翼机翼升推力的产生机理并在扇翼机翼翼型的基础上构建了吹气机翼翼型。建立了两种机翼翼型的数值计算方法，通过对比相对静压分布曲线、速度云图和压力云图，证明了吹气机翼具有与扇翼机翼一样的升推力产生方式，即涡致升推力的形成机制。通过将横流风扇加速后气流流速定义为吹气机翼吹气速度，对比了两种机翼升推力随来流速度和迎角的变化关系。结果表明:两种机翼的升推力变化趋势基本一致，仅在迎角大于20°时，吹气机翼推力值相较扇翼机翼损失了近5倍。总体而言，在常规飞行状态下，吹气机翼能够替代扇翼机翼，为相关飞行器的增升和优化设计提供了一种思路。      

前/后掠机翼气动特性对比分析

基于NACA0012对称翼型设计了前掠机翼、后掠机翼和平直机翼,采用CFD方法计算了3种机翼的升力系数、阻力系数和俯仰力矩系数,通过压力云图和流线图分析了3种机翼的气动特性及流动机理。研究结果表明:前掠机翼上表面的流动是由翼尖流向翼根,翼根首先出现分离,而后掠机翼上表面的流动是由翼根流向翼尖,翼尖首先出现分离,平直机翼由于受翼尖涡的下洗影响,翼根首先出现分离;在30°斜掠角下,前掠机翼形成了机翼前缘涡,表现出旋涡流态气动特性。研究结果揭示了不同机翼之间的流动差异,有助于在飞行器设计过程中选择合适的气动布局。