Effect of trailing edge ramp on cavity flow structures and pressure drag

Abstract

The effects of trailing edge ramp modifications on time-averaged velocity and pressure distributions within a cavity with a length to depth ratio of 2, at a speed of 15m/s were investigated. The ramp angles were varied at 30°, 45° and 60° and ramp heights were varied at 0.25 times and 0.5 times of cavity depth. The mean flow within the cavity differed significantly from the baseline case when ramp angle was 30° and 45° with ramp height 0.5 times of cavity depth. At these 2 configurations, moment about the center of the cavity floor was reduced significantly. These could be attributed to the more steady flow within the cavity as compared to the baseline case. Spatial correlation of velocity in the cavity of ramp angle 30° showed that internal cavity flow was less sensitive to flow changes in the shear layer as compared to the baseline case. In the same cavity, snapshot Proper Orthogonal Decomposition revealed a redistribution of energy content where energetic structures exist only in the shear layer as opposed to energetic structures in both the shear layer and internal cavity for the baseline case. A reduction of pressure drag was also observed as the gentle ramp angle of 30° guides the flow smoothly out of the cavity and reduces trailing edge impingement.