Optimization of Passive Flow Control Devices of a Slatless High-Lift Configuration

Abstract

The improvement of slatless high-lift configurations is of high importance for future aircraft. This statement is valid for turbulent wing as well as wing integrating laminar flow technologies. Such performance improvement can be obtained by using active flow control at the main wing leading edge, or by the use of passive devices (vortex generators) or active devices (blowing slot) located on the flap, in order to suppress the flow separation that generally exists at the flap trailing edge for lift-optimized landing configurations. This paper presents the numerical optimization of a flap system equipped, or not equipped, with mechanical vortex generators, including the flap settings and the vortex generator characteristics. The flap settings (gap, overlap, and angle) and the mechanical vortex generator parameters (location, height, skew angle, spacing and length), are optimized at the same time.