Passive Control of Boundary Layer on Wing: Numerical and Experimental Study of Two Configurations of Wing Surface Modification in Cruise and Landing Speed

Abstract

Minimizing the carbon footprint of the aviation industry is of critical importance for the forthcoming years, allowing the mitigation of climate change through fossil fuel economy. Significant progress toward this goal can be achieved through the aerodynamic optimization of wing surfaces. In a previous study, a custom-designed wing equipped with an Eppler 420 airfoil, including an appendant custom-designed blended winglet, was developed and studied in flight conditions. The present paper researches potential improvements to the aerodynamic behavior of this wing by attempting to regenerate the boundary layer. The main goal was to achieve passive control of the boundary layer, which would be approached by means of two different configurations. In the first case, dimples were added at the points where the separation of the boundary layer was expected, for the majority of the wing surface; in the second case, bumps of the same diameter were added at the same points. Both wings were studied in two different Reynolds (Re) numbers and five angles of attack (AoA). The computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were implemented using a pressure-based solver, the spatial discretization was conducted with a second-order upwind scheme, and the k-omega SST (k-ω SST) turbulence model was applied by utilizing the pseudo-transient method. The experimental procedure was conducted in an open-type subsonic flow wind tunnel, for Reynolds 86,000, with 3D-printed models of the wings having undergone suitable surface treatment. The numerical and experimental results converged, showing a degradation in the wing’s aerodynamic performance when bumps were implemented, as well as a slight improvement for the configuration with dimples.