Vortical flow management techniques

‘Vortex management’ refers to the purposeful manipulation and re-ordering of stable and concentrated vortical structures (e.g., resulting from flow separations from highly-swept leading edges and slender forebodies at moderate to high angles of attack) in order to enhance the aerodynamic performance and controllability of advanced, highly-maneuverable supersonic configurations. Exploratory experiments based on this approach have been conducted on generic research models at NASA Langley Research Center during recent years, investigating practical vortex flow control concepts and devices aimed at maneuver drag reduction, high angle of attack, pitch yaw and roll control, trimmed lift enhancement for short-field landing, etc. This paper reviews a selection of results attempting to clarify the basic aerodynamics of those concepts, and to evaluate their potential for improving performance and control. The vortex management concepts discussed herein include: aerodynamic compartmentation of highly-swept leading edges for alleviation of pitch non-linearities; capturing the leading edge vortex suction on forward-sloping flap surfaces for maneuver drag reduction; vortex lift modulation with articulated leading edge extensions for pitch-down and roll control at high angles of attack; vortex lift augmentation in the wing apex region to trim trailing edge flaps allowing shorter landing; and forebody vortex manipulation to alleviate uncontrolled asymmetry and also to generate yaw control in post-stall maneuvering. The precursor studies discussed here generally substantiated the vortex control concepts; questions such as configuration-sensitivity and scale effects are under continued investigation at NASA Langley and elsewhere.