Airfoil flow instabilities induced by background flow oscillations

 The effect of background flow oscillations on transonic airfoil (NACA 0012) flow was investigated experimentally. The oscillations were generated by means of a rotating plate placed downstream of the airfoil. Owing to oscillating chocking of the flow caused by the plate, the airfoil flow periodically accelerated and decelerated. This led to strong variations in the surface pressure and the airfoil loading. The results are presented for two angles of attack, α=4° and α=8.5°, which correspond to the attached and separated steady airfoil flows, respectively. Received: 6 June 2000 / Accepted: 18 October 2001     

Frequency lock-in phenomenon for oscillating airfoils in buffeting flows

Navier-Stokes based computer simulations are conducted to determine the aerodynamic flow field response that is observed for a NACA0012 airfoil that undergoes prescribed harmonic oscillation in transonic buffeting flows, and also in pre-buffet flow conditions. Shock buffet is the term for the self-sustained shock oscillations that are observed for certain combinations of Mach number and steady mean flow angle of attack even in the absence of structural motion. The shock buffet frequencies are typically on the order of the elastic structural frequencies, and therefore may be a contributor to transonic aeroelastic response phenomena, including limit-cycle oscillations. Numerical simulations indicate that the pre-shock-buffet flow natural frequency increases with mean angle of attack, while the flow damping decreases and approaches zero at the onset of buffet. Airfoil harmonic heave motions are prescribed to study the interaction between the flow fields induced by the shock buffet and airfoil motion, respectively. At pre-shock-buffet conditions the flow response is predominantly at the airfoil motion frequency, with some smaller response at multiplies of this frequency. At shock buffet conditions, a key effect of prescribed airfoil motions on the buffeting flow is to create the possibility of a lock-in phenomenon, in which the shock buffet frequency is synchronized to the prescribed airfoil motion frequency for certain combinations of airfoil motion frequencies and amplitudes. Aerodynamic gain-phase models for the lock-in region, as well as for the pre-shock-buffet conditions are suggested, and also a possible relationship between the lock-in mechanism and limit-cycle oscillation is discussed.     

Analysis of High-order Explicit LES Dynamic Modeling Applied to Airfoil Flows

A high-order low dissipative numerical framework is discussed to tackle simultaneously the modeling of unresolved sub-grid scale flow turbulence and the capturing of shock waves. The flows around two different airfoil profiles are simulated using a Spectral Difference discretisation scheme. First, a transitional, almost incompressible, low Reynolds number flow over a Selig-Donovan 7003 airfoil. Second, a high Reynolds number flow over a RAE2822 airfoil under transonic conditions. These flows feature both laminar and turbulent flow physics and are thus particularly challenging for turbulence sub-grid scale modeling. The accuracy of the recently developed Spectral Element Dynamic Model, specifically capable of detecting spatial under-resolution in high-order flow simulations, is evaluated. Concerning the test in transonic conditions, the additional complexity due to the presence of shock waves has been handled using an artificial viscosity shock-capturing technique based on bulk viscosity. To mitigate the impact of the shock-capturing on turbulence dissipation, it was necessary to combine the high-order modal-type shock detection with a usual sensor measuring the local flow compressibility.

     

跨音速翼型上的激波／边界层干扰自适应控制计算

在激波区使用自适应壁对跨音速翼型的激波／边界层的相互作用（干扰）进行控制，可改变机翼的气动性能，这种被动控制可通过在翼型的激波区开一凹腔，其上覆盖一弹性橡胶膜柔壁来，本文给出用Ｎａｖｉｅｒ－Ｓｔｏｋｅｒ方程数值模拟这一自适应控制翼型的跨音速粘性绕流，提出了一个适应于本特殊情况（物面边界局部地区在求解过程中有变化）的处理办法。并探讨了自适应柔壁对当代跨音速翼绕流的影响。     

Buffeting in transonic flow prediction using time‐dependent turbulence model

In transonic flow conditions, the shock wave/turbulent boundary layer interaction and flow separations on wing upper surface induce flow instabilities, ‘buffet’, and then the buffeting (structure vibrations). This phenomenon can greatly influence the aerodynamic performance. These flow excitations are self‐sustained and lead to a surface effort due to pressure fluctuations. They can produce enough energy to excite the structure. The objective of the present work is to predict this unsteady phenomenon correctly by using unsteady Navier–Stokes‐averaged equations with a time‐dependent turbulence model based on the suitable (k–ε) turbulent eddy viscosity model. The model used is based on the turbulent viscosity concept where the turbulent viscosity coefficient (Cμ) is related to local deformation and rotation rates. To validate this model, flow over a flat plate at Mach number of 0.6 is first computed, then the flow around a NACA0012 airfoil. The comparison with the analytical and experimental results shows a good agreement. The ONERA OAT15A transonic airfoil was chosen to describe buffeting phenomena. Numerical simulations are done by using a Navier–Stokes SUPG (streamline upwind Petrov–Galerkin) finite‐element solver. Computational results show the ability of the present model to predict physical phenomena of the flow oscillations. The unsteady shock wave/boundary layer interaction is described. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Amplification and amplitude limitation of heave/pitch limit-cycle oscillations close to the transonic dip

Recent results from flutter experiments of the supercritical airfoil NLR 7301 at flow conditions close to the transonic dip are presented. The airfoil was mounted with two degrees-of-freedom in an adaptive solid-wall wind tunnel, and boundary-layer transition was tripped. Flutter boundaries exhibiting a transonic dip were determined and limit-cycle oscillations (LCOs) were measured. The local energy exchange between the fluid and the structure during LCOs is examined and leads to the following findings: at supercritical Mach numbers below that of the transonic-dip minimum the presence of a shock-wave and its dynamics destabilizes the aeroelastic system such that the decreasing branch of the transonic dip develops. At higher Mach numbers the shock-wave motion has a stabilizing effect such that the flutter boundary increases to higher flutter-speed indices with increasing Mach number. Amplified oscillations near this branch of the flutter boundary obtain energy from the flow mainly due to the dynamics of a trailing-edge flow separation. A slight nonlinear amplitude dependency of the shock motion and a possibly occurring boundary-layer separation cause the amplitude limitation of the observed LCOs. The impact of the findings on the numerical simulation of these phenomena is discussed.     

Semi-hyperbolic Patches of Solutions to the Two-dimensional Euler Equations

We construct semi-hyperbolic patches of solutions, in which one family out of two nonlinear families of characteristics starts on sonic curves and ends on transonic shock waves, to the two-dimensional Euler equations. This type of solution appears in the transonic flow over an airfoil and Guderley reflection, and is common in the numerical solutions of Riemann problems.     

The application of the gradient-based adjoint multi-point optimization of single and double shock control bumps for transonic airfoils

A shock control bump (SCB) is a flow control method that uses local small deformations in a flexible wing surface to considerably reduce the strength of shock waves and the resulting wave drag in transonic flows. Most of the reported research is devoted to optimization in a single flow condition. Here, we have used a multi-point adjoint optimization scheme to optimize shape and location of the SCB. Practically, this introduces transonic airfoils equipped with the SCB that are simultaneously optimized for different off-design transonic flight conditions. Here, we use this optimization algorithm to enhance and optimize the performance of SCBs in two benchmark airfoils, i.e., RAE-2822 and NACA-64-A010, over a wide range of off-design Mach numbers. All results are compared with the usual single-point optimization. We use numerical simulation of the turbulent viscous flow and a gradient-based adjoint algorithm to find the optimum location and shape of the SCB. We show that the application of SCBs may increase the aerodynamic performance of an RAE-2822 airfoil by 21.9 and by 22.8 % for a NACA-64-A010 airfoil compared to the no-bump design in a particular flight condition. We have also investigated the simultaneous usage of two bumps for the upper and the lower surfaces of the airfoil. This has resulted in a 26.1 % improvement for the RAE-2822 compared to the clean airfoil in one flight condition.     

Performance Improvement of a Supercritical Airfoil by a Multi-point Optimized Shock Control Channel

A shock control channel (SCC) is a flow control method introduced here to control the shock wave/boundarylayer interaction (SWBLI) in order to reduce the resulting wave drag in transonic flows. An SCC transfers an appropriate amount of mass and momentum from downstream of the shock wave location to its upstream to decrease the pressure gradient across the shock wave and as a result the shock-wave strength is reduced. Here, a multi-point optimization method under a constant-lift-coefficient constraint is used to find the optimum design of the SCC. This flow control method is implemented on a RAE-2822 supercritical airfoil for a wide range of off-design transonic Mach numbers. The RANS flow equations are solved using Roe’s averages scheme and a gradient-based adjoint algorithm is used to find the optimum location and shape of the SCC. The solver is validated against experimental works studying effect of cavities in transonic airfoils. It is shown that the application of an SCC improves the average aerodynamic efficiency in a range of off-design conditions by 13.2% in comparison with the original airfoil. The SCC is shown to be an effective tool also for higher angle of attack at transonic flows. We have also studied the SWBLI and how the optimization algorithm makes the flow wave structure and interactions of the shock wave with the boundary layer favorable.     

INTERFERENCE OF SHOCK AND BOUNDARY LAYER IN SUPERSONIC FLOW

激波与物面边界层的干扰涉及可压缩流动的稳定性、转捩、分离等问题,直接影响到飞行器的阻力、表面热防护和飞行性能等工程技术问题。首先总结了前人对于激波与边界层的干扰所做的工作,之后重点研究和对比分析了超声速与跨声速流动中,正激波、斜激波以及头部激波对于飞行器层流和湍流边界层的干扰影响。激波强度的不同对边界层干扰作用不同,在强干扰情况下将会引起边界层分离和翼型失速。     

Numerical evaluation of passive control of shock wave/boundary layer interaction on NACA0012 airfoil using jagged wall

Shock formation due to flow compressibility and its interaction with boundary layers has adverse effects on aerodynamic characteristics, such as drag increase and flow separation. The objective of this paper is to appraise the prac-ticability of weakening shock waves and, hence, reducing the wave drag in transonic flight regime using a two-dimensional jagged wall and thereby to gain an appropriate jagged wall shape for future empirical study. Different shapes of the jagged wall, including rectangular, circular, and triangular shapes, were employed. The numerical method was validated by experimental and numerical studies involving transonic flow over the NACA0012 airfoil, and the results presented here closely match previous experimental and numerical results. The impact of parameters, including shape and the length-to-spacing ratio of a jagged wall, was studied on aerodynamic forces and flow field. The results revealed that applying a jagged wall method on the upper surface of an airfoil changes the shock structure significantly and disinte-grates it, which in turn leads to a decrease in wave drag. It was also found that the maximum drag coefficient decrease of around 17%occurs with a triangular shape, while the max-imum increase in aerodynamic efficiency (lift-to-drag ratio) of around 10%happens with a rectangular shape at an angle of attack of 2.26?.     

超临界翼型跨音速特性实验研究

针对新设计的超临界翼型,采用风洞实验方法验证和评估了其气动特性。在增压连续式跨音速风洞(NF-6风洞)开展了超临界翼型跨音速特性的实验研究,验证了该翼型设计的压力分布曲线特点。激波位置和波后压力平台区长度表明设计结果和实验结果基本一致,揭示了超临界翼型跨音速的气动特性;阻力发散马赫数达到期望的设计指标,探讨了雷诺数对该翼型气动特性的影响。最后采用升华法实现了翼型表面流动特性的显示。结果表明转捩点约在16%弦长位置。     

Criterial analysis of the effect of vibrations of an airfoil surface element on the transonic flow structure

A criterial analysis of the effect of forced vibrations of airfoil surface elements on the shock wave structure of a transonic flow around the airfoil is performed. The parameter responsible for regimes of interaction of vibrationally moving zones of the airfoil with the closing shock wave is determined. The influence of this parameter on the wave drag of the airfoil is studied.     

Oscillations of a plate cascade in a transonic gas flow

The transonic unsteady flow of a gas through a cascade of thin, slightly curved plates is quite complex and has received little study. The main difficulties are associated with the nonlinear dependence of the aerodynamic characteristics on the plate thickness. In [1] it is shown that, for a single thin plate performing high-frequency oscillations in a transonic gas stream, the variation of the unsteady aerodynamic characteristics with plate thickness may be neglected. For a plate cascade, the flow pattern is complicated by the aerodynamic interference between the plates, which may depend significantly on their shape. A solution of the problem of transonic flow past a cascade without account for the plate thickness has been obtained by Hamamoto [2].The objective of the present study is the clarification of the dependence of the aerodynamic characteristics of a plate cascade on plate thickness in transonic unsteady flow regimes. The nonlinear equation for the velocity potential is linearized under the assumption that the motionless plate causes significantly greater disturbances in the stream than those due to the oscillations. A similar linearization was carried out for a single plate in [3]. The aerodynamic interference between the plates is determined by the method presented in [4]. As an example, the aerodynamic forces acting on a plate oscillating in a duct and in a free jet are calculated.     

Nonlinear dynamics of an aeroelastic airfoil with free-play in transonic flow

Nonlinear dynamic behaviors of an aeroelastic airfoil with free-play in transonic air flow are studied. The aeroelastic response is obtained by using time-marching approach with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and reduced order model (ROM) techniques. Several standardized tests of transonic flutter are presented to validate numerical approaches. It is found that in time-marching approach with CFD technique, the time-step size has a significant effect on the calculated aeroelastic response, especially for cases considering both structural and aerodynamic nonlinearities. The nonlinear dynamic behavior for the present model in transonic air flow is greatly different from that in subsonic regime where only simple harmonic oscillations are observed. Major features of the responses in transonic air flow at different flow speeds can be summarized as follows. The aeroelastic responses with the amplitude near the free-play are dominated by single degree of freedom flutter mechanism, and snap-though phenomenon can be observed when the air speed is low. The bifurcation diagram can be captured by using ROM technique, and it is observed that the route to chaos for the present model is via period-doubling, which is essentially caused by the free-play nonlinearity. When the flow speed approaches the linear flutter speed, the aeroelastic system vibrates with large amplitude, which is dominated by the aerodynamic nonlinearity. Effects of boundary layer and airfoil profile on the nonlinear responses of the aeroelastic system are also discussed.     

The Multi-point Optimization of Shock Control Bump with Constant-Lift Constraint Enhanced with Suction and Blowing for a Supercritical Airfoil

Both shock control bump (SCB) and suction and blowing are flow control methods used to control the shock wave/boundary layer interaction (SWBLI) in order to reduce the resulting wave drag in transonic flows. A SCB uses a small local surface deformation to reduce the shock-wave strength, while suction decreases the boundary-layer thickness and blowing delays the flow separation. Here a multi-point optimization method under a constant-lift-coefficient constraint is used to find the optimum design of SCB and suction and blowing. These flow control methods are used separately or together on a RAE-2822 supercritical airfoil for a wide range of off-design transonic Mach numbers. The RANS flow equations are solved using Roe’s averages scheme and a gradient-based adjoint algorithm is used to find the optimum location and shape of all devices. It is shown that the simultaneous application of blowing and SCB (hybrid blowing/SCB) improves the average aerodynamic efficiency at off-design conditions by 18.2 % in comparison with the clean airfoil, while this increase is only 16.9 % for the hybrid suction/SCB. We have also studied the SWBLI and how the optimization algorithm makes the flow wave structure and interactions of the shock wave with the boundary layer favorable.     

Resonant phenomena in a transonic flow around an airfoil with pulsed periodic energy supply

Interaction of a pulsed periodic source of energy with a closing shock wave arising near airfoils in transonic flight is studied. The evolution of the shock-wave structure of the flow around a symmetric airfoil is examined by solving two-dimensional unsteady gas-dynamic equations, and a resonant mechanism of interaction is found, which leads to considerable (by an order of magnitude) reduction of the wave drag of the airfoil.     

Transonic shock oscillations on NACA0012 aerofoil

The mechanism of the origin of shock oscillations on NACA0012 aerofoils is investigated using a moving grid thin layer Navier Stokes code. The method used to understand the mechanism is to initiate the shock oscillations on an aerofoil by moving the aerofoil from a regime of steady transonic flow into a regime of periodic flow by a change in airflow incidence. The results indicate that the shock induced bubble plays a leading role in the origin of shock oscillations and the trailing edge has an affect on its amplitude. Received 1 April 1997 / Accepted 1 December 1997     

Fourier time spectral method for subsonic and transonic flows

The time accuracy of the exponentially accu-rate Fourier time spectral method (TSM) is examined and compared with a conventional 2nd-order backward differ-ence formula (BDF) method for periodic unsteady flows. In particular, detailed error analysis based on numerical com-putations is performed on the accuracy of resolving the local pressure coefficient and global integrated force coefficients for smooth subsonic and non-smooth transonic flows with moving shock waves on a pitching airfoil. For smooth sub-sonic flows, the Fourier TSM method offers a significant accuracy advantage over the BDF method for the predic-tion of both the local pressure coefficient and integrated force coefficients. For transonic flows where the motion of the discontinuous shock wave contributes significant higher-order harmonic contents to the local pressure fluctuations, a sufficient number of modes must be included before the Fourier TSM provides an advantage over the BDF method. The Fourier TSM, however, still offers better accuracy than the BDF method for integrated force coefficients even for transonic flows. A problem of non-symmetric solutions for symmetric periodic flows due to the use of odd numbers of intervals is uncovered and analyzed. A frequency-searching method is proposed for problems where the frequency is not known a priori. The method is tested on the vortex shedding problem of the flow over a circular cylinder.