A Note on the Causes of Thin Aerofoil Stall

1959 ◽  
Vol 63 (588) ◽  
pp. 724-730 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. W. F. Moore

Recent Researches have led to some possible explanations for thin aerofoil stalling behaviour. Apart from the Owen Klanfer criterion these are the reverse flow breakdown hypothesis of McGregor and Wallis's turbulent separation theory.This note describes simple theoretical boundary layer calculations which indicate the feasibility of Wallis's hypothesis. In addition the results of some experiments on a thin two-dimensional aerofoil with various leading edge configurations with Reynolds number, based on model chord, of 1.8 million and 1 million support either of these hypotheses, depending on the leading edge configuration. It is concluded that thin aerofoil stall can occur broadly, through either of the suggested mechanisms, depending on conditions in the nose region.

1990 ◽  
Vol 217 ◽  
pp. 367-390 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip Hall ◽  
Sharon O. Seddougui

The three-dimensional boundary layer on a swept wing can support different types of hydrodynamic instability. Here attention is focused on the so-called ‘spanwise instability’ problem which occurs when the attachment-line boundary layer on the leading edge becomes unstable to Tollmien–Schlichting waves. In order to gain insight into the interactions that are important in that problem a simplified basic state is considered. This simplified flow corresponds to the swept attachment-line boundary layer on an infinite flat plate. The basic flow here is an exact solution of the Navier–Stokes equations and its stability to two-dimensional waves propagating along the attachment line can be considered exactly at finite Reynolds number. This has been done in the linear and weakly nonlinear regimes by Hall, Malik & Poll (1984) and Hall & Malik (1986). Here the corresponding problem is studied for oblique waves and their interaction with two-dimensional waves is investigated. In fact oblique modes cannot be described exactly at finite Reynolds number so it is necessary to make a high-Reynolds-number approximation and use triple-deck theory. It is shown that there are two types of oblique wave which, if excited, cause the destabilization of the two-dimensional mode and the breakdown of the disturbed flow at a finite distance from the leading edge. First a low-frequency mode closely related to the viscous stationary crossflow mode discussed by Hall (1986) and MacKerrell (1987) is a possible cause of breakdown. Secondly a class of oblique wave with frequency comparable with that of the two-dimensional mode is another cause of breakdown. It is shown that the relative importance of the modes depends on the distance from the attachment line.


2018 ◽  
Vol 861 ◽  
pp. 860-885 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. I. Benton ◽  
M. R. Visbal

Dynamic stall due to a ramp-type pitching motion is investigated on the NACA 0012 airfoil at chord Reynolds number of $Re_{c}=1.0\times 10^{6}$ through the use of wall-resolved large-eddy simulation. Emphasis is placed on the unsteady boundary-layer interactions that develop as the airfoil approaches stall. At this Reynolds number it is shown that turbulent separation moves upstream across much of the airfoil suction surface. When turbulent separation reaches the leading-edge separation bubble, a bursting event is initiated leading to a strong coherent leading-edge vortex structure. This vortex wraps up the turbulent shear layer to form a large dynamic stall vortex. The use of large-eddy simulation elucidates the roll of the laminar separation bubble in defining the onset of the dynamic stall process. Comparisons are made to identical simulations at lower Reynolds numbers of $Re_{c}=0.2\times 10^{6}$ and $0.5\times 10^{6}$. This comparison demonstrates trends in the boundary-layer mechanics that explain the sensitivity of the dynamic stall process to Reynolds number.


1971 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. A. Despard ◽  
J. A. Miller

The results of an experimental investigation of separation in oscillating laminar boundary layers is reported. Instantaneous velocity profiles obtained with multiple hot-wire anemometer arrays reveal that the onset of wake formation is preceded by the initial vanishing of shear at the wall, or reverse flow, throughout the entire cycle of oscillation. Correlation of the experimental data indicates that the frequency, Reynolds number and dynamic history of the boundary layer are the dominant parameters and oscillation amplitude has a negligible effect on separation-point displacement.


2008 ◽  
Vol 614 ◽  
pp. 315-327 ◽  
Author(s):  
UWE EHRENSTEIN ◽  
FRANÇOIS GALLAIRE

A separated boundary-layer flow at the rear of a bump is considered. Two-dimensional equilibrium stationary states of the Navier–Stokes equations are determined using a nonlinear continuation procedure varying the bump height as well as the Reynolds number. A global instability analysis of the steady states is performed by computing two-dimensional temporal modes. The onset of instability is shown to be characterized by a family of modes with localized structures around the reattachment point becoming almost simultaneously unstable. The optimal perturbation analysis, by projecting the initial disturbance on the set of temporal eigenmodes, reveals that the non-normal modes are able to describe localized initial perturbations associated with the large transient energy growth. At larger time a global low-frequency oscillation is found, accompanied by a periodic regeneration of the flow perturbation inside the bubble, as the consequence of non-normal cancellation of modes. The initial condition provided by the optimal perturbation analysis is applied to Navier–Stokes time integration and is shown to trigger the nonlinear ‘flapping’ typical of separation bubbles. It is possible to follow the stationary equilibrium state on increasing the Reynolds number far beyond instability, ruling out for the present flow case the hypothesis of some authors that topological flow changes are responsible for the ‘flapping’.


2016 ◽  
Vol 792 ◽  
pp. 682-711 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael O. John ◽  
Dominik Obrist ◽  
Leonhard Kleiser

The leading-edge boundary layer (LEBL) in the front part of swept airplane wings is prone to three-dimensional subcritical instability, which may lead to bypass transition. The resulting increase of airplane drag and fuel consumption implies a negative environmental impact. In the present paper, we present a temporal biglobal secondary stability analysis (SSA) and direct numerical simulations (DNS) of this flow to investigate a subcritical transition mechanism. The LEBL is modelled by the swept Hiemenz boundary layer (SHBL), with and without wall suction. We introduce a pair of steady, counter-rotating, streamwise vortices next to the attachment line as a generic primary disturbance. This generates a high-speed streak, which evolves slowly in the streamwise direction. The SSA predicts that this flow is unstable to secondary, time-dependent perturbations. We report the upper branch of the secondary neutral curve and describe numerous eigenmodes located inside the shear layers surrounding the primary high-speed streak and the vortices. We find secondary flow instability at Reynolds numbers as low as$Re\approx 175$, i.e. far below the linear critical Reynolds number$Re_{crit}\approx 583$of the SHBL. This secondary modal instability is confirmed by our three-dimensional DNS. Furthermore, these simulations show that the modes may grow until nonlinear processes lead to breakdown to turbulent flow for Reynolds numbers above$Re_{tr}\approx 250$. The three-dimensional mode shapes, growth rates, and the frequency dependence of the secondary eigenmodes found by SSA and the DNS results are in close agreement with each other. The transition Reynolds number$Re_{tr}\approx 250$at zero suction and its increase with wall suction closely coincide with experimental and numerical results from the literature. We conclude that the secondary instability and the transition scenario presented in this paper may serve as a possible explanation for the well-known subcritical transition observed in the leading-edge boundary layer.


1971 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 346-362 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. F. Nash ◽  
R. R. Tseng

SummaryThis paper presents the results of some calculations of the incompressible turbulent boundary layer on an infinite yawed wing. A discussion is made of the effects of increasing lift coefficient, and increasing Reynolds number, on the displacement thickness, and on the magnitude and direction of the skin friction. The effects of the state of the boundary layer (laminar or turbulent) along the attachment line are also considered.A study is made to determine whether the behaviour of the boundary layer can adequately be predicted by a two-dimensional calculation. It is concluded that there is no simple way to do this (as is provided, in the laminar case, by the principle of independence). However, with some modification, a two-dimensional calculation can be made to give an acceptable numerical representation of the chordwise components of the flow.


1960 ◽  
Vol 64 (599) ◽  
pp. 668-672 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. W. F. Moore

Summary:The results of experiments on the reattachment of a laminar boundary layer, separating from a rearward facing step in a flat plate aerofoil, are correlated with the properties of the short leading edge bubble which forms on thin aerofoils near the stall.The experiments, comprising pressure measurements, Pitot explorations, liquid film and smoke studies, indicate that for all Reynolds numbers above the value given by the Owen-KIanfer criterion the reattachment is turbulent behind a stationary air reverse flow vortex bubble. It is also found that the reattachment is laminar for Reynolds numbers below the critical, which further supports Crabtree's interpretation of the Owen-KIanfer criterion in terms of the condition for the growth of turbulent bursts.


Author(s):  
Stefan Becker ◽  
Donald M. McEligot ◽  
Edmond Walsh ◽  
Eckart Laurien

New results are deduced to assess the validity of proposed transition indicators when applied to situations other than boundary layers on smooth surfaces. The geometry employed utilizes a two-dimensional square rib to disrupt the boundary layer flow. The objective is to determine whether some available criteria are consistent with the present measurements of laminar recovery and transition for the flow downstream of this rib. For the present data — the proposed values of thresholds for transition in existing literature that are based on the freestream turbulence level at the leading edge are not reached in the recovering laminar run but they are not exceeded in the transitioning run either. Of the pointwise proposals examined, values of the suggested quantity were consistent for three of the criteria; that is, they were less than the threshold in laminar recovery and greater than it in the transitioning case.


2001 ◽  
Vol 426 ◽  
pp. 73-94 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. A. MASLOV ◽  
A. N. SHIPLYUK ◽  
A. A. SIDORENKO ◽  
D. ARNAL

Experimental investigations of the boundary layer receptivity, on the sharp leading edge of a at plate, to acoustic waves induced by two-dimensional and three- dimensional perturbers, have been performed for a free-stream Mach number M∞ = 5.92. The fields of controlled free-stream disturbances were studied. It was shown that two-dimensional and three-dimensional perturbers radiate acoustic waves and that these perturbers present a set of harmonic motionless sources and moving sources with constant amplitude. The disturbances excited in the boundary layer were measured. It was found that acoustic waves impinging on the leading edge generate Tollmien–Schlichting waves in the boundary layer. The receptivity coefficients were obtained for several radiation conditions and intensities. It was shown that there is a dependence of receptivity coefficients on the wave inclination angles.


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