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On the mechanism of high-incidence lift generation for steadily translating low-aspect-ratio wings

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 January 2017

Adam C. DeVoria  and
Kamran Mohseni
Adam C. DeVoria
Affiliation:
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
Kamran Mohseni*
Affiliation:
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
*
†Email address for correspondence: mohseni@ufl.edu
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Abstract

High-incidence lift generation via flow reattachment is studied. Different reattachment mechanisms are distinguished, with dynamic manoeuvres and tip vortex downwash being separate mechanisms. We focus on the latter mechanism, which is strictly available to finite wings, and isolate it by considering steadily translating wings. The tip vortex downwash provides a smoother merging of the flow at the trailing edge, thus assisting in establishing a Kutta condition there. This decreases the strength/amount of vorticity shed from the trailing edge, and in turn maintains an effective bound circulation resulting in continued lift generation at high angles of attack. Just below the static lift-stall angle of attack, strong vorticity is shed at the trailing edge indicating an increasingly intermittent reattachment/detachment of the instantaneous flow at mid-span. Above this incidence, the trailing-edge shear layer increases in strength/size representing a negative contribution to the lift and leads to stall. Lastly, we show that the mean-flow topology is equivalent to a vortex pair regardless of the particular physical flow configuration.

JFM classification

Aerodynamics: Aerodynamics Wakes/Jets: Separated flows Vortex Flows: Vortex Flows

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Papers
Information
Journal of Fluid Mechanics , Volume 813 , 25 February 2017 , pp. 110 - 126
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© 2017 Cambridge University Press 

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