Search results

1 – 10 of 736
Article
Publication date: 2 December 2019

Aslesha Bodavula, Rajesh Yadav and Ugur Guven

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of surface protrusions on the flow unsteadiness of NACA 0012 at a Reynolds number of 100,000.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of surface protrusions on the flow unsteadiness of NACA 0012 at a Reynolds number of 100,000.

Design/methodology/approach

Effect of protrusions is investigated through numerical simulation of two-dimensional Navier–Stokes equations using a finite volume solver. Turbulent stresses are resolved through the transition Shear stress transport (four-equation) turbulence model.

Findings

The small protrusion located at 0.05c and 0.1c significantly improve the lift coefficient by up to 36% in the post-stall regime. It also alleviates the leading edge stall. The larger protrusions increase the drag significantly along with significant degradation of lift characteristics in the pre-stall regime as well. The smaller protrusions also increase the frequency of the vortex shedding.

Originality/value

The effect of macroscopic protrusions or deposits in rarely investigated. The delay in stall shown by smaller protrusions can be beneficial to micro aerial vehicles. The smaller protrusions increase the frequency of the vortex shedding, and hence, can be used as a tool to enhance energy production for energy harvesters based on vortex-induced vibrations and oscillating wing philosophy.

Details

Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, vol. 92 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1748-8842

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 June 2020

Somashekar V. and Immanuel Selwyn Raj A.

This paper aims to deal with the numerical investigation of laminar separation bubble (LSB) characteristics (length and height of the bubble) of SS007 airfoil at the chord Reynolds

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to deal with the numerical investigation of laminar separation bubble (LSB) characteristics (length and height of the bubble) of SS007 airfoil at the chord Reynolds number of Rec = 0.68 × 105 to 10.28 × 105.

Design/methodology/approach

The numerical simulations of the flow around SS007 airfoil were carried out by using the commercial fluid dynamics (CFD) software, ANalysis system (ANSYS) 15. To solve the governing equations of the flow, a cell-centred control volume space discretisation approach is used. Wind tunnel experiments were conducted at the chord-based Reynolds number of Rec = 1.6 × 105 to validate the aerodynamic characteristics over SS007 airfoil.

Findings

The numerical results revealed that the LSB characteristics of a SS007 airfoil, and the aerodynamic performances are validated with experimental results. The lift and drag coefficients for both numerical and experimental results show very good correlation at Reynolds number 1.6 × 105. The lift coefficient linearly increases with the increasing angle of attack (AOA) is relatively small. The corresponding drag coefficient was found to be very small. After the formation of LSB which leads to burst to cause airfoil stall, the lift coefficient decreases and increases the drag coefficient.

Practical implications

Low Reynolds number and LSB characteristics concept in aerodynamics is predominant for both civilian and military applications. These include high altitude devices, wind turbines, human powered vehicles, remotely piloted vehicles, sailplanes, unmanned aerial vehicle and micro aerial vehicle. In this paper, the micro aerial vehicle flight conditions considered and investigated the LSB characteristics for different Reynolds number. To have better aerodynamic performances, it is strongly recommended to micro aerial vehicle (MAV) design engineers that the MAV is to fly at 12 m/s (cruise speed).

Social implications

MAVs and unmanned aerial vehicles seem to give some of the technical challenges of nature conservation monitoring and law enforcement a versatile, reliable and inexpensive solution.

Originality/value

The SS007 airfoil delays the flow separation and improves the aerodynamic efficiency by increasing the lift and decreasing the drag. The maximum increase in aerodynamic efficiency is 12.5% at stall angle of attack compared to the reference airfoil at Re = 2 × 105. The results are encouraging and this airfoil could have better aerodynamic performance for the development of MAV.

Details

Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, vol. 92 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1748-8842

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 July 2021

Mustafa Serdar Genç, Hacımurat Demir, Mustafa Özden and Tuna Murat Bodur

The purpose of this exhaustive experimental study is to investigate the fluid-structure interaction in the flexible membrane wings over a range of angles of attack for various…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this exhaustive experimental study is to investigate the fluid-structure interaction in the flexible membrane wings over a range of angles of attack for various Reynolds numbers.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper, an experimental study on fluid-structure interaction of flexible membrane wings was presented at Reynolds numbers of 2.5 × 104, 5 × 104 and 7.5 × 104. In the experimental studies, flow visualization, velocity and deformation measurements for flexible membrane wings were performed by the smoke-wire technique, multichannel constant temperature anemometer and digital image correlation system, respectively. All experimental results were combined and fluid-structure interaction was discussed.

Findings

In the flexible wings with the higher aspect ratio, higher vibration modes were noticed because the leading-edge separation was dominant at lower angles of attack. As both Reynolds number and the aspect ratio increased, the maximum membrane deformations increased and the vibrations became visible, secondary vibration modes were observed with growing the leading-edge vortices at moderate angles of attack. Moreover, in the graphs of the spectral analysis of the membrane displacement and the velocity; the dominant frequencies coincided because of the interaction of the flow over the wings and the membrane deformations.

Originality/value

Unlike available literature, obtained results were presented comparatively using the sketches of the smoke-wire photographs with deformation measurement or turbulence statistics from the velocity measurements. In this study, fluid-structure interaction and leading-edge vortices of membrane wings were investigated in detail with increasing both Reynolds number and the aspect ratio.

Details

Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, vol. 93 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1748-8842

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 8 August 2023

Samir Ouchene, Arezki Smaili and Hachimi Fellouah

This paper aims to investigate the problem of estimating the angle of attack (AoA) and relative velocity for vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) blades from computational fluid…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the problem of estimating the angle of attack (AoA) and relative velocity for vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) blades from computational fluid dynamics data.

Design/methodology/approach

Two methods are implemented as function objects within the OpenFOAM framework for estimating the blade’s AoA and relative velocity. For the numerical analysis of the flow around and through the VAWT, 2 D unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (URANS) simulations are carried out and validated against experimental data.

Findings

To gain a better understanding of the complex flow features encountered by VAWT blades, the determination of the AoA is crucial. Relying on the geometrically-derived AoA may lead to wrong conclusions about blade aerodynamics.

Practical implications

This study can lead to the development of more robust optimization techniques for enhancing the variable-pitch control mechanism of VAWT blades and improving low-order models based on the blade element momentum theory.

Originality/value

Assessment of the reliability of AoA and relative velocity estimation methods for VAWT’ blades at low-Reynolds numbers using URANS turbulence models in the context of dynamic stall and blade–vortex interactions.

Details

International Journal of Numerical Methods for Heat & Fluid Flow, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0961-5539

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 March 2020

Nima Vaziri, Ming-Jyh Chern, Tzyy-Leng Horng and Syamsuri Syamsuri

The purpose of this study is to the modeling of the dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) actuator on the Eppler 387 (E387) airfoil in low Reynolds number conditions.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to the modeling of the dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) actuator on the Eppler 387 (E387) airfoil in low Reynolds number conditions.

Design/methodology/approach

A validated direct-forcing immersed boundary method is used to solve the governing equations. A linear electric field model is used to simulate the DBD actuator. A ray-casting technique is used to define the geometry.

Findings

The purposed model is validated against the former studies. Next, the drag and lift coefficients in the static stall of the E387 airfoil are investigated. Results show that when the DBD actuator is on, both of the coefficients are increased. The effects of the location, applied voltage and applied frequency are also studied and find that the leading-edge actuator with higher voltage and frequency has better improvement in the forces. Finally, the dynamic stall of the E387 with the DBD actuator is considered. The simulation shows that generally when the DBD is on, the lift coefficient in the pitch-up section has lower values and in the pitch-down has higher values than the DBD off mode.

Practical implications

It is demonstrated that using the DBD actuator on E387 in the low Reynolds number condition can increase the lift and drag forces. Therefore, the application of the airfoil must be considered.

Originality/value

The results show that sometimes the DBD actuator has different effects on E387 airfoil in low Reynolds number mode than the general understanding of this tool.

Details

Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, vol. 92 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1748-8842

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 10 June 2021

Witold Artur Klimczyk

This paper aims to present a methodology of designing a custom propeller for specified needs. The example of propeller design for large unmanned air vehicle (UAV) is considered.

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to present a methodology of designing a custom propeller for specified needs. The example of propeller design for large unmanned air vehicle (UAV) is considered.

Design/methodology/approach

Starting from low fidelity Blade Element (BE) methods, the design is obtained using evolutionary algorithm-driven process. Realistic constraints are used, including minimum thickness required for stiffness, as well as manufacturing ones – including leading and trailing edge limits. Hence, the interactions between propellers in hex-rotor configuration, and their influence on structural integrity of the UAV are investigated. Unsteady Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes (URANS) are used to obtain loading on the propeller blades in hover. Optimization of the propeller by designing a problem-specific airfoil using surrogate modeling-driven optimization process is performed.

Findings

The methodology described in the current paper proved to deliver an efficient blade. The optimization approach allowed to further improve the blade efficiency, with power consumption at hover reduced by around 7%.

Practical implications

The methodology can be generalized to any blade design problem. Depending on the requirements and constraints the result will be different.

Originality/value

Current work deals with the relatively new class of design problems, where very specific requirements are put on the propellers. Depending on these requirements, the optimum blade geometry may vary significantly.

Details

Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, vol. 94 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1748-8842

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 2 August 2018

Nima Vaziri, Ming-Jyh Chern and Tzyy-Leng Horng

The purpose of this study is simulation of dynamic stall behavior around the Eppler 387 airfoil in the low Reynolds number flow with a direct-forcing immersed boundary (DFIB…

159

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is simulation of dynamic stall behavior around the Eppler 387 airfoil in the low Reynolds number flow with a direct-forcing immersed boundary (DFIB) numerical model.

Design/methodology/approach

A ray-casting method is used to define the airfoil geometry. The governing continuity and Navier–Stokes momentum equations and boundary conditions are solved using the DFIB method.

Findings

The purposed method is validated against numerical results from alternative schemes and experimental data on static and oscillating airfoil. A base flow regime and different vortices patterns are observed, in accordance with other previously published investigations. Also, the effects of the reduced frequency, the pitch oscillation amplitude and the Reynolds number are studied. The results show that the reduced frequency has a major effect on the flow field and the force coefficients of the airfoil. On the other hand, the Reynolds number of the flow has a little effect on the dynamic stall characteristics of the airfoil at least in the laminar range.

Practical implications

It is demonstrated that the DFIB model provides an accurate representation of dynamic stall phenomenon.

Originality/value

The results show that the dynamic stall behavior around the Eppler 387 is different than the general dynamic stall behavior understanding in the shedding phase.

Details

Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, vol. 90 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1748-8842

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 2 March 2023

Shima Yazdani, Erfan Salimipour, Ayoob Salimipour, Mikhail A. Sheremet and Mohammad Ghalambaz

Active flow control on the NACA 0024 airfoil defined as suction-injection jet at the chord-based Reynolds number of 1.5 × 1e + 5 is studied.

Abstract

Purpose

Active flow control on the NACA 0024 airfoil defined as suction-injection jet at the chord-based Reynolds number of 1.5 × 1e + 5 is studied.

Design/methodology/approach

The three-dimensional incompressible unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes equations with the SST k-ω turbulence model are used to study the effects of coflow-jet (CFJ) on the dynamic and static stall phenomena. CFJ implementation is conducted with several momentum coefficients to investigate their turnover. Furthermore, the current work intends to analyze the CFJ performance by varying the Reynolds number and jet momentum coefficient and comparing all states to the baseline airfoil, which has not been studied in prior research investigations.

Findings

It is observed that at the momentum coefficient () of 0.06, the lift coefficients at low attack angles (up to a = 15) dramatically increase. Furthermore, the dynamic stall at the given Reynolds number and with the lowered frequency of 0.15 is explored. In the instance of = 0.07, the lift coefficient curve does not show a noticeable stall feature compared to = 0.05, suggesting that a more powerful stronger jet can entirely control the dynamic stall.

Originality/value

Furthermore, the current work intends to analyze the CFJ performance by varying the jet momentum coefficient and comparing all states to the baseline airfoil, which has not been studied in prior research investigations.

Details

International Journal of Numerical Methods for Heat & Fluid Flow, vol. 33 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0961-5539

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 19 October 2018

Ignazio Maria Viola, Vincent Chapin, Nicola Speranza and Marco Evangelos Biancolini

There is an increasing interest in airfoils that modify their shape to adapt at the flow conditions. As an example of application, the authors search the optimal 4-digit NACA…

Abstract

Purpose

There is an increasing interest in airfoils that modify their shape to adapt at the flow conditions. As an example of application, the authors search the optimal 4-digit NACA airfoil that maximizes the lift-over-drag ratio for a constant lift coefficient of 0.6, from Re = 104 to 3 × 106.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors consider a γ−Reθt transition model and a κω SST turbulence model with a covariance matrix adaptation evolutionary optimization algorithm. The shape is adapted by radial basis functions mesh morphing using four parameters (angle of attack, thickness, camber and maximum camber position). The objective of the optimization is to find the airfoil that enables a maximum lift-over-drag ratio for a target lift coefficient of 0.6.

Findings

The computation of the optimal airfoils confirmed the expected increase with Re of the lift-over-drag ratio. However, although the observation of efficient biological fliers suggests that the thickness increases monotonically with Re, the authors find that it is constant but for a 1.5 per cent step increase at Re = 3 × 105.

Practical implications

The authors propose and validate an efficient high-fidelity method for the shape optimization of airfoils that can be adopted to define robust and reliable industrial design procedures.

Originality/value

The authors show that the difference in the numerical error between two-dimensional and three-dimensional simulations is negligible, and that the numerical uncertainty of the two-dimensional simulations is sufficiently small to confidently predict the aerodynamic forces across the investigated range of Re.

Article
Publication date: 7 August 2020

Massimo Miozzi, Alessandro Capone, Christian Klein and Marco Costantini

The purpose of this study is the characterization of the dramatic variation in the flow scenario occurring at incipient stall conditions on a NACA0015 hydrofoil at moderate…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is the characterization of the dramatic variation in the flow scenario occurring at incipient stall conditions on a NACA0015 hydrofoil at moderate Reynolds numbers via the experimental analysis of time- and space-resolved skin-friction maps. The examined flow conditions are relevant for a variety of applications, including renewable energy production and unmanned and micro-aerial vehicles.

Design/methodology/approach

Grounding on the global temperature data acquired via temperature-sensitive paint, the proposed methodology adopts two approaches: one to obtain time-resolved, relative skin-friction vector fields by means of an optical-flow-based algorithm and the other one to extract quantitative, time-averaged skin-friction maps after minimization of the dissimilarity between the observed passive transport of temperature fluctuations and that suggested by the Taylor hypothesis.

Findings

Through the synergistic application of the proposed methods, the time-dependent evolution of the incipient stall over the hydrofoil suction side is globally described by firstly identifying the trailing edge separation at an angle of attack (AoA) AoA = 11.5°, and then by capturing the onset of upstream oriented, mushroom-like structures at AoA = 13°. The concomitant occurrence of both scenarios is found at the intermediate incidence AoA = 12.2°.

Originality/value

The qualitative, time-resolved skin-friction topology, combined with the quantitative, time-averaged distribution of the streamwise friction velocity, enables to establish a portrait of the complex, three-dimensional, unsteady scenario occurring at the examined flow conditions, thus providing new, fundamental information for a deeper understanding of the incipient stall development and for its control.

Details

International Journal of Numerical Methods for Heat & Fluid Flow, vol. 31 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0961-5539

Keywords

1 – 10 of 736