Stall in ground effect using the unsteady vortex lattice method with Kirchhoff-based correction

This paper focused on the development of a model to represent longitudinal aerodynamics of a wing and/or flight vehicle in ground effect when height is a function of time including high angles of attack. A general aerodynamic model of a wing and/or airplane in ground effect which includes high angles of attack was created. The aerodynamic coefficients of wings studied herein were obtained by the unsteady vortex lattice method with Kirchhoff-based correction (UVLM-K). Wind tunnel measurements presented in the literature were used to validate the UVLM-K. Then, a rectangular wing was simulated at high angles of attack in takeoff and flare, and the aerodynamic characteristics at different heights aboveground were obtained along with the h derivatives during these maneuvers. The mathematical model presented herein is capable to model unsteady aerodynamic phenomena in ground effect at high angles of attack. When this model was used in static ground effect, values of R2 equal to and greater than 0.999, 0.981, 0.993 were obtained for lift, induced drag, and pitching moment coefficient, respectively. In dynamic ground effect, the model can adjust the aerodynamic coefficient during the maneuvers.

This paper focuses on the development of a model to represent the longitudinal aerodynamics of a wing and/or flight vehicle in ground effect when height is a function of time including high angles of attack. A general aerodynamic model of a wing and/or airplane in ground effect that includes high angles of attack was created. The aerodynamic coefficients of wings studied herein were obtained by the unsteady vortex-lattice method with Kirchhoff-based correction (UVLM-K). The wind-tunnel measurements presented in the literature were used to validate the UVLM-K. Then, a rectangular wing was simulated at high angles of attack in takeoff and flare, and the aerodynamic characteristics at different heights above ground were obtained along with the derivatives during these maneuvers. The mathematical model presented herein is capable of modeling unsteady aerodynamic phenomena in ground effect at high angles of attack. When this model was used in the static ground effect, values of equal to or greater than 0.999, 0.981, and 0.993 were obtained for lift, induced drag, and pitching moment coefficients, respectively. In the dynamic ground effect, the model can adjust the aerodynamic coefficient during the maneuvers.

간접 경계요소법 (비정상패널법)을 사용하여 3차원 날개의 동적 지면효과에 대한 연구를 수행하였다. Green 정리를 사용하여 경계표면에 대한 적분방정식을 얻었다. 일정강도의 용출 및 용흡중첩을 날개표면에 분포시켰고 후류는 일정강도의 용흡중첩으로 나타내었다. 매 시간간격마다 한 행의 후류 패널들이 날개의 후연에서 하류로 대류한다고 가정하였다. 지면효과를 받는 날개의 익단 와류가 날개길이방향으로 이동하였다. 동적 지면효과를 받는 날개가 가지는 공력계수의 진폭 값이 정적 지면효과를 받는 날개의 경우보다 더욱 증가하였다. A study on the dynamic ground effect on three-dimensional wings is done using an indirect boundary element method(unsteady panel method). An integral equation is obtained by applying Green's theorem on all surfaces of the fluid domain. Constant strength dipole and source panels arc distributed on a wing's surface. The wake sheet is represented by constant strength dipoles. At each time step, a row of wake panels is assumed to be convected from the trailing edge of the wing. The tip vortex behind wings in dynamic ground effect moves outward. The amplitudes of the aerodynamic coefficients for the wings in dynamic ground effect are augmented much more comparing to the case in static ground effect.

Numerical study of aerodynamic forces and flow physics of a delta wing in dynamic ground effect

The main purpose of this article was to point out causes of reduced fuel consumption in aircraft jet engine when aircraft is in ground effect influence. Wing in ground effect occurs in the direct proximity of ground. The paper presents wing in ground effect description, with the numerical analysis of NACA M8 airfoil in three different conditions of flight. Numerical analysis was conduct in Ansys Fluent 17.2 software. The paper shows results of simulations which describes wing in ground effect influence on NACA M8 airfoil with two cases of jet engine exhaust gasses usage, first with exhaust gasses stream turns on upper airfoil surface, and second with exhaust gasses stream turns under lower airfoil surface. Results allow to define characteristics of NACA M8 airfoil in the influence of wing in ground effect which are lift coefficient, drag coefficient, drop of fuel consumption usage by the jet engine when lift force remains still in the wing in ground effect. The paper shows that in the wing in ground effect aircraft energy usage for flight in ground effect is smaller than for free air flight.

The aerodynamic coefficients of wing in ground effect can be affected with its design which can be the main parameter for efficiency of wing-in-ground effect craft. In this study, the aerodynamic coefficients of a compound wing were numerically determined in ground effect. The compound wing was divided into three parts with one rectangular wing in the middle and two reverse taper wings with an anhedral angle at the sides. An NACA6409 airfoil was employed as a section of wings. Three dimensional (3D) computational fluid dynamics (CFD) was applied as a numerical scheme. A realizable k-ε turbulent model was used for simulation the turbulent flow around the wing surfaces. For validation purpose, the numerical results of a compound wing with aspect ratio 1.25, at ground clearance of 0.15 and different angles of attack were compared with the current experimental data. Then, the aerodynamic coefficients of the compound wings were computed at various ground clearances and angle of attack of 4°. According to pressure and velocity distribution of air around wing surfaces, ground clearance had considerable effects on ram effect pressure and tip vortex of the compound wing, and aerodynamic coefficients of the compound wing had some improvements as compared with the rectangular wing.

The height static stability of a wing can be a main concern for conceptual design of wing-in-ground effect (WIG) crafts. In this research, the stability of a rectangular and compound wing was computationally predicted in ground effect. A realizable k-ε turbulent model was used for simulation the flow filed over the wing surfaces. First, the drag coefficient and lift to drag ratio of numerical simulation were validated by experimental data of the rectangular wing. Next, the stability of the compound wing respect to different ground clearances will be determined and compared with rectangular wing. This study illustrated a deep understanding of static stability of present compound wing in ground effect, which eventually can be a guideline for researchers and designers of WIG craft.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the aerodynamics of wing in ground effect with tiltable endplates for a new type wing‐in‐ground effect (WIG) craft.Design/methodology/approachThe concept of tiltable endplates was implemented into the design of a WIG craft. Numerical investigation on aerodynamics of the tiltable endplate was carried out. The endplate effect on aerodynamics was deeply investigated with a rectangular wing at given angle of attack and flight height. The size of endplate relative to whole wing was then studied based on given endplate deflection angle and flight height. Finally, aerodynamics and flow of tiltable endplate in various flight heights and endplate deflection angles were analyzed. Aerodynamics, pressure and wingtip vortex were recorded in the study.FindingsEndplate influences development of wingtip vortex and improves aerodynamics. Tiltable endplate can enable WIG craft to yield improved aerodynamic performance and worthwhile economy improvements on long‐distance flights in and out of ground effect (OGE).Research limitations/implicationsThe results are entirely based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The gap between “numerical world” and “real world” depends on development and appropriate application of CFD. The current work shows further understanding of ground effect and aerodynamics of wing in ground effect.Practical implicationsThe aerodynamics and aerodynamic optimization of wing in ground effect are of the great importance for WIG craft. The work improves the design and research on aerodynamics of WIG craft.Originality/valueThe concept of tiltable endplate for a new type wing in ground effect allows WIG craft to achieve good aerodynamic performance not only in ground effect but also in OGE. This was studied and proved in the current work.

Seabirds are birds that are adapted to life within the marine environment. They usually fly over and close to the surface of the sea during hunting for food. It is believed that the shapes of their wing structures may have advantages in flying proximity to the surface of the sea better than other birds. It is expected that the study of the characteristics of these wing shapes is useful to the wing in ground effect (WIG) design. Hence, this research aims to investigate the aerodynamic characteristics of various seabird-like wings in proximity of the ground. The wings with and without ground effect are aerodynamically tested in a close circuit low speed wind tunnel of 1 m. × 1 m. test section and at free stream velocity of 40 m/s or Reynolds Number of 240,000. The test results show the effect of ground proximity to the aerodynamic performance of the wings, such as the lift coefficients, the drag coefficients, and the lift to drag ratio, at variety of angles of attack. The stall characteristics are also investigated. The aerodynamic performances of the seabird-like wings are also compared to the rectangular wing of the same aspect ratio. It is concluded that the wings of seabird like shapes provide better aerodynamic performance when in ground effect compared to the normal rectangular wing.

A numerical investigation has been conducted to analyze the influence of the dynamic ground effect on the aerodynamic characteristics of a rectangular wing. The numerical model is based on a three-dimensional panel method and the ground effect is analyzed using the method of images. Before simulating the wing approaching the ground, the model developed was tested assuming fixed height and the results were examined by comparison to analytical and numerical results showing a good agreement. Then, the dynamic ground effect was investigated for two flight conditions: constant rate of descent and varying rate of descent. The results obtained by dynamic ground effect and those ones computed using static ground effect were compared evidencing that the static ground effect underpredicts the lift coefficient and overpredicts the induced drag coefficient. In addition, for these flight conditions, the lift coefficient increases when non-dimensional height decreases observing that it is more significant for a constant value of rate of descent, and the induced drag coefficient decreases while non-dimensional height reduces evidencing a significant decrease for a varying rate of descent. Finally, the effect of the flight path angle was evaluated demonstrating that the lift and the induced drag coefficients decrease with more negative flight path.

Recently a new transport system "Aerotrain" has been proposed, and test using the first and second stage models are conducted in a 3 km guide way of old MAGLEV test facility in Miyazaki prefecture. "Aerotrain" has wings, and flies close to the ground of an open channel to take advantage of the ground effect. Characteristics of wing in ground effect (WIG) have been investigated using conventional wind tunnels. But this type of experiment cannot estimate the ground effect correctly because of the existence of boundary layer developed between bottom of the wings and the ground surface. Therefore, it is necessary to experiment using a towing wind tunnel to clarify characteristics of wing in the real ground effect. The aerodynamic charactersistis of two kinds of aerofoil sections: NAGA 4412 and circular arc aerofoil were clarified by the experriment towing the aerofoils in 3 km guide way of MAGLEV test facility. In addition, we examined problems to utilize the guide way of old MAGLEV as a towing wind tunnel.

This paper deals with the influence of different RANS turbulence models on the numerical modelling of a 3D rectangular symmetrical wing in ground effect. Travelling near a solid surface, so-called ground effect, considerably alters the aerodynamic characteristics of a wing. This paper aims to investigate the performance of the widely used eddy viscosity turbulence models while predicting the changing aerodynamic behavior due to the ground effect. Three different RANS turbulence models, realizable , SST and Spalart-Allmaras models are taken into consideration. The effectiveness of the turbulence models were tasted in comparison with the experimental data in different angles of attack and ground heights. Results reveals that, the effect of the turbulence models on the numerical accuracy of the ground effect aerodynamics calculations are related to the altitude and the angle of attack. The choice of the turbulence model becomes important when the wing travels in very close proximity to the ground and the angle of attack is low or negative. The discrepancy of the calculated results mainly comes from the pressure distribution variations on the lower side of the wing. For high angles of attack, or relatively larger ground heights, the difference between the predictions of the turbulence models become negligible.

Wing configuration is a parameter that affects the performance of wing-in-ground effect (WIG) craft. In this study, the aerodynamic characteristics of a new compound wing were investigated during ground effect. The compound wing was divided into three parts with a rectangular wing in the middle and two reverse taper wings with anhedral angle at the sides. The sectional profile of the wing model is NACA6409. The experiments on the compound wing and the rectangular wing were carried to examine different ground clearances, angles of attack, and Reynolds numbers. The aerodynamic coefficients of the compound wing were compared with those of the rectangular wing, which had an acceptable increase in its lift coefficient at small ground clearances, and its drag coefficient decreased compared to rectangular wing at a wide range of ground clearances, angles of attack, and Reynolds numbers. Furthermore, the lift to drag ratio of the compound wing improved considerably at small ground clearances. However, this improvement decreased at higher ground clearance. The drag polar of the compound wing showed the increment of lift coefficient versus drag coefficient was higher especially at small ground clearances. The Reynolds number had a gradual effect on lift and drag coefficients and also lift to drag of both wings. Generally, the nose down pitching moment of the compound wing was found smaller, but it was greater at high angle of attack and Reynolds number for all ground clearance. The center of pressure was closer to the leading edge of the wing in contrast to the rectangular wing. However, the center of pressure of the compound wing was later to the leading edge at high ground clearance, angle of attack, and Reynolds number.

An investigation through numerical experiments was conducted to determine the aerodynamic characteristics of a power-augmented ram wing in ground effect (PAR-WIG). The Navier-Stokes solver used was a MUSCL-type third-order accurate upwind differencing, finite-volume, pseudo-compressibility code based on a multi-block grid approach. In order to understand the mechanism of the power-augmentation effect, two boundary conditions on the ground were considered : (1) a moving belt ground plate condition ; and (2) a fixed ground plate condition corresponding to the wind-tunnel tests. Thrust was represented using prescribed body-force distributions. The flow around a rectangular wing with end-plates and propellers which were placed forward of the wing and blew under the wing, were computed by the solver with different trailing edge heights. Results were compared with experimental data and the aerodynamic characteristics were discussed.

A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) investigation was carried out on a three-dimensional NACA6409 wing in ground effect at a Reynolds number of 320,000. Using a multi-objective-SHERPA algorithm, a root angle of 4 deg angle of attack, a tip angle of 6 deg, a forward sweep, and a tip chord of 20% of the root chord produced an optimum aerodynamic efficiency across all ground clearances. Optimization showed a gain in aerodynamic efficiency of 41% at h/c = 0.05 ground clearance and a 31% gain at h/c = 0.2 compared to a rectangular planform wing. Next, fish bone active camber (FishBAC) morphing was applied to the optimized wing varying the morphing start locations along the chord at both the tip and root. A later start location produced the highest aerodynamic efficiency but increased manufacturing complexity. Extendable span morphing was also tested and was found that increasing the span from 1c to 1.5c increased the aerodynamic efficiency of the optimized wing by 27.4% at h/c = 0.1. Varying the span from 0.8c to 1.2c in ground effect had a small effect on the drag for small ground clearances; for large ground clearances, the total drag decreased as the span increased. Smaller gains were seen when the span morphing was applied to the rectangular wing. The FishBAC morphing was applied in the spanwise direction to morph the wingtip, sealing the flow beneath the wing. Also, the proportion of the morphing wingtip caused the trailing edge to be closer to the ground further enhancing ground effect.