Flow visualization for an unconventional forebody

Some results of flow visualization are described for an unconventional fuselage with Erickson-like forebody. The experiment includes force measurement, surface oil flow visualization, and laser sheet flow visualization. Some results are also obtained from a CFD code for solving laminar Navier-Stokes equations. Although there are some differences between the model in the experiment and the model in the computation, the location of vortex on the models exhibits good agreements. The investigation in this paper shows that varying the forebody shape of fuselage can change the flow characteristics greatly and the Erickson-like forebody has potential to improve the lateral-direction stability of the aircraft at high angles of attack.