Experimental/numerical investigation of a wingtip vortex in the near-field

Micheál S. O'Regan, Philip C. Griffin, Gary Mcnicholas, Trevor M. Young

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

Abstract

The three dimensional wake in the near-field (0 < x/c < 3) of a wingtip vortex has been studied both experimentally and computationally. The research was conducted in the University of Limerick's medium speed wind tunnel on a NACA 0012 square tip half wing at a Reynolds number of 3.1 × 105. Single hot wire measurements recorded a maximum turbulence intensity of 9% just after the trailing edge. Maximum turbulence intensity after x/c = 0 is observed in the vortex core which decays with downstream distance. Five-hole probe mean velocity measurements revealed jet like and wake like axial velocity profiles depending on wing angle of attack, with values of 1.33U∞ and 0.83U∞ being measured for 10° and 5°. Axial vorticity is also observed to increase gradually with downstream distance. A full Reynolds stress turbulence model with a second order upwind differencing scheme is used to compute the vortex in the near-field. Vortex structure and trajectory correlate well with experiment. It is thought that the dissipative nature of the second order convection scheme led to discrepancies between numerical and experimental results.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publication30th AIAA Applied Aerodynamics Conference 2012
PublisherAmerican Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Inc.
Pages2415-2422
Number of pages8
ISBN (Print)9781624101854
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2012
Event30th AIAA Applied Aerodynamics Conference 2012 - New Orleans, LA, United States
Duration: 25 Jun 201228 Jun 2012

Publication series

Name30th AIAA Applied Aerodynamics Conference 2012

Conference

Conference30th AIAA Applied Aerodynamics Conference 2012
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityNew Orleans, LA
Period25/06/1228/06/12

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