Development of a wind tunnel experiment for vortex dominated flow at a pitching Lambda wing

Abstract

A half wing model, a test rig and new wind tunnel walls were designed to study the vortex development at a lambda wing. The model has a sweep angle of 53° and a round leading edge. It is designed for pitching oscillations around a mean angle of attack of up to 20° up to a free stream Mach number of 0.7. Unsteady aerodynamic load data shall be delivered for aeroelastic simulations of Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles. Due to the highly nonlinear aerodynamic character, the design and sizing of the model had to take into account load cases with beginning and fully developed vortices. Furthermore, the different characters at subsonic and transonic speeds had to be included. Coupled simulations with a finite element model including the mounting and the connection to the actuation system were performed to assess the stability and the dynamic response of the model. Furthermore, the test concept and the process of the design of the model will be described.