Aerodynamic Load Distribution Research Articles

Study on the influence of variable inlet guide vane slot on the aerodynamic performance in air storage centrifugal compressor

The influence of variable inlet guide vanes with slots (SVIGVs) on the aerodynamic performance of an air-storage centrifugal compressor was studied using numerical simulations. The inlet position of the slot was set to 4 % of the chord length of the variable inlet guide vanes (VIGVs), and the outlet position was set to 14 %. The results show that the high-loss area near the VIGVs suction surface increases owing to the secondary flow generated by the slot jet, and the change in the inlet flow angle of the impeller results in a decrease in the compressor efficiency under the 30° pre-swirling angle condition. In contrast, the slot can effectively reduce the loss caused by the VIGVs at 40° and 50° pre-swirling angles and optimise the impeller inlet flow angle, thereby improving the efficiency and pressure ratio of the centrifugal compressor. At a pre-swirling angle of 50°, the efficiency and pressure ratio of the compressor increased by 8.3 % and 0.2, respectively. Furthermore, the influence of the SVIGVs on the impeller aerodynamic loads of a centrifugal compressor was revealed through an unsteady numerical simulation. The results showed that the SVIGVs effectively improved the aerodynamic load distribution on the impeller, reduced the aerodynamic load by three, four, and five times the frequency of rotation, and reduced the frequency amplitude by up to 2/3.

Compliant mechanism design of combined aircraft wing for stable separation

Abstract Stable separation is a crucial condition that must be met in order for combined aircraft to successfully engage in cooperative flight. In order to achieve the desired fast and controlled separation, this paper proposes a novel design for a torque-driven compliant separation mechanism. By taking into account the compliance characteristics of a sinusoidal acceleration function curve, a mechanical model for the separation mechanism is developed. By utilising the Coulomb friction law, an accurate determination of the aerodynamic load distribution under various conditions is achieved. Subsequently, the relationship between the unlocking moment and the aerodynamic load is derived based on these findings. Through the utilisation of the finite element method, a model of the separation mechanism is generated. To ensure the safety and reliability of the compliant separation mechanism, the mechanical properties of the structural materials are thoroughly analysed under the maximum aerodynamic load. Subsequently, the separation mechanism structure is constructed and subjected to testing in order to showcase the compliance characteristics. In addition, this paper conducts a simulation to analyse the impact of flight speed and angle-of-attack on the separation process. By doing so, the optimal conditions for separation are determined. The methods and findings presented in this study have the potential to contribute valuable insights to the design of combined aircraft.

Investigation on the Dynamic Performance of High-Speed Trains Under Tunnel and Crosswind Environments Considering Car-Body Flexibility Based on a CFD-MBD Co-Simulation Method

The dynamic performance of railway vehicles is significantly impacted by sudden-changed aerodynamic loads. To investigate the dynamic performance of high-speed trains (HSTs) under tunnel and crosswind environments considering the car-body flexibility, an intensive study is conducted. First, a train–track interaction dynamic model with a flexible car body is established in SIMPACK for dynamic response analysis. Concurrently, an aerodynamic model for calculating the distribution of aerodynamic loads is found in FLUENT to determine forces and moments applied to each part of the car body. Then, the two models are coupled utilizing a co-simulation method developed based on the User Data Protocol (UDP). Finally, a case study is carried out, involving a train passing through tunnels subjected to crosswinds. The results reveal that the distribution of aerodynamic loads on the car-body affected by crosswind is time-variant and non-even. Interestingly, the dynamic simulation results are almost unaffected by the method used to allocate the loads on the car body. Variations in the aerodynamic loads affected by crosswinds lead to flexible first-order diamond mode vibration of the car body at around 8.5[Formula: see text]Hz when exiting the tunnel. As the crosswind speed continues to increase, vibrations at frequencies of 18.2[Formula: see text]Hz and 24.2[Formula: see text]Hz will be enhanced, corresponding to the bending mode and combined mode of the car body. However, similar flexible vibrations are insignificant when the vehicle enters the tunnel. In addition, the vertical wheel–rail interaction obtained by the dynamic model with a rigid car body is slightly greater than that with a flexible car body.

Numerical Study on Aerodynamic and Noise Responses of Rotor with Ramp Increase in Collective Pitch Based on Time-Accurate Free-Wake Method

Research on helicopter transient maneuvering flight noise is a hotspot and challenging topic in the fields of helicopter design and application. A new time-accurate free-wake (TAFW) method and the Fowcs Williams-Hawkings (FW–H) equations are applied to analyze the aerodynamic and noise responses of a rotor subjected to a ramp increase in collective pitch, in hover, and in forward flight. First, a TAFW algorithm suitable for rotor aerodynamic simulation in steady-state flight and transient maneuvers is developed using modified third-order upwind backward differentiation formulas. Then, to verify the effectiveness and accuracy of the proposed method, various parameters are calculated for two scenarios and compared with corresponding results from experiments by the University of Maryland: the Langley 2MRTS rotor and the NACA rotor with ramp increases in collective pitch. Finally, the influence of collective pitch increase rate, the total increase of collective pitch, and the start and stop azimuth of ramp increase on the aerodynamic and loading noise responses of the rotor are analyzed in hover and forward flight conditions. The results show the ramp increase in collective pitch will affect the loading noise in three timescales: short-term, medium-term, and long-term. The change of the loading noise is greater when the collective pitch increase rate is greater, and the start and stop azimuth angles of the ramp increase are also important factors affecting the aerodynamic load distribution and directionality of the noise.

Structural Design and Aeromechanical Analysis of Unconventional Blades for Future Mars Rotorcraft

The structural design of rotor blades with ultra-thin, unconventional airfoils is conducted in support of the NASA Rotor Optimization for the Advancement of Mars eXploration (ROAMX) project. The outer mold line was provided by NASA, and the internal structural design was developed at the University of Maryland using a CAD-based three-dimensional (3D) aeromechanical analysis. The main objectives of this paper are to document the unique aeroelastic behavior encountered due to the low Reynolds number (down to 15K) and high subsonic Mach number (up to 0.95). Four different blade designs are considered, with the pitch axis varied from quarter-chord to midchord to determine the effect of center of gravity (C. G.) offset on natural frequencies, blade deformations, root loads, and 3D stresses. Torsional stability is emphasized for each of the designs - especially important due to the low Lock number on Mars. The designs are first studied in vacuum, and significant reductions in root loads and 3D stresses are achieved by moving the pitch axis closer to midchord to reduce the C. G. offset. Next, the design with the pitch axis at 40% chord is selected for a lifting-line aeromechanical analysis. The blade control load, airloads, deformations, and 3D stresses are studied for steady hover. Dynamic control load and dynamic 3D stresses are studied for unsteady hover. Interesting elastic twist is observed due to the trapeze effect and propeller moment, in turn affecting the spanwise distribution of aerodynamic loads. The dynamic control load is found to increase significantly due to inertial coupling from the C. G. offset. The dynamic stresses also increase but still have factors of safety greater than two for both tensile and compressive stress.

Stress Characteristics of Horizontal-Axis Wind Turbine Blades under Dynamic Yaw

The dynamic yaw significantly affects the aerodynamic load distribution of wind turbines, and the aerodynamic load is one of the main influencing factors of wind turbine structural stress variation. Taking the NACA4415 horizontal axis wind turbine designed by the research group as the research object, the numerical simulation was used to analyze the distribution characteristics of blade stress, surface thrust coefficient, and the wind turbine power output under periodic dynamic yaw conditions. The results show that the blade stress, blade axial thrust, and wind turbine output power were presented as a cosine distribution with yaw fluctuations. The distribution trend of blade stress showed an increase followed by a decrease from the inside out along the span direction. In addition, due to the influence of dynamic yaw and aerodynamic loads, the stress values near the blade root exhibited significant fluctuations. With the increase in tip speed ratio, the stress values of dynamic windward yaw gradually exceeded those of leeward yaw. Within the range of a 10° to 30° yaw variation period, the stress value with positive yaw was larger than that with negative yaw, and the highest stress value occurred in the range of −5° to 15°. The results can be provided as a theoretical basis for the structural design and yaw control strategies of wind turbines, considering dynamic yaw operation.

Performance enhancement of small-scale wind turbine featuring morphing blades

The demand for renewable energy is driven by the depletion and adverse environmental impacts of fossil fuels. There is a growing global consensus for research and development of renewable energy, including wind. In the current study, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) Phase VI wind turbine blade is integrated with morphing trailing-edge, installed on the aft-30% blade chord, across outboard 75% blade span. The morphing trailing-edge generates unique topology for each wind speed such that the glide ratio is maximized along the blade span. Three-dimensional transient computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analyses are conducted over low to medium wind speeds to investigate the blade aerodynamics. The analyses exhibit significant increments in the low-speed shaft torque and power of the morphed blades compared to the baseline. The integration of morphing trailing-edge high-lift flow control mechanism on the NREL Phase VI blade enhanced energy harvesting and reduced the wind turbine cut-in wind speed. Comparative investigations are also conducted to assess the improvements in thrust, bending moment, and aerodynamic load distribution, as well as alterations in the pressure, flow field, turbulence, surface flow, and wake. The aeroacoustics directivity of the wind turbines exhibits marginal far-field noise increment in case of morphing trailing-edge integrated blades.

Fast Aero-Structural Model of a Leading-Edge Inflatable Kite

Soft-wing kites for airborne wind-energy harvesting function as flying tensile membrane structures, each of whose shape depends on the aerodynamic load distribution and vice versa. The strong two-way coupling between shape and loading poses a complex fluid-structure interaction problem. Since computational models for such problems do not yet meet the requirements of being accurate and at the same time fast, kite designers usually work on the basis of intuition and experience, combined with extensive iterative flight testing. This paper presents a fast aero-structural model of leading-edge inflatable kites for the design phase of airborne wind-energy systems. The fluid-structure interaction solver couples two fast and modular models: a particle system model to capture the deformation of the wing and bridle-line system and a 3D nonlinear vortex step method coupled with viscous 2D airfoil polars to describe the aerodynamics. The flow solver was validated with several wing geometries and proved to be accurate and computationally inexpensive for pre-stall angles of attack. The coupled aero-structural model was validated using experimental data, showing good agreement in the deformations and aerodynamic forces. Therefore, the speed and accuracy of this model make it an excellent foundation for a kite design tool.

An Experimental Study on Rotor Aerodynamic Noise Control Based on Active Flap Control

Reducing rotor aerodynamic noise is an important challenge in helicopter design. Active flap control (AFC) on rotors is an effective noise reduction method. It changes the segment airfoil shape, aerodynamic load distribution, and the wake path of the rotor flow by adding trailing edge flaps (TEFs). Although AFC noise reduction control is easily simulated, the relevant experiments have not been widely conducted due to test technical problems and limited financial support. The acoustic characteristics of the AFC-equipped rotor, such as the placement of TEFs for noise reduction and whether multiple winglets can provide a better effect than single winglets, have not been verified in previous experiments. In this work, an AFC-equipped rotor with two TEFs was designed, and its acoustic properties were tested in the FL-17 acoustic wind tunnel with microphone arrays in the far field. The results showed that the noise reduction effect of AFC was closely related to the control frequency and phase. Increasing the control phase could move the reduction region toward the azimuth-decreasing region for far-field noise. The noise reduction in a single outboard TEF was better than that in a single inboard TEF, while the dual-TEF model performed better. In this experiment, the average noise reduction in the observation point at the lower front of the rotor could be more than 3 dB, and the maximum noise reduction could be 6.2 dB.

A Multi-Dimensional Lagrange Multiplier Method to Identify the Load Distribution on 3D Special-Shaped Surface in the Strength Analysis of Aircraft Structure

In the process of aircraft structural design, the aerodynamic load and inertial load need to be distributed from single loading points to distributed finite element (FE) nodes before strength analysis. The most commonly used loading distribution method is a Multi-Point Arrangement (MPA) method, which introduces a one-dimensional Lagrange multiplier based on the principle of minimum deformation energy, and simplifies the special-shaped 3D surface in aircraft structure to a plane. However, the actual aircraft structure contains a large number of special-shaped surfaces, and the MPA method cannot accurately distribute the loads on these complex special-shaped surfaces, affecting the accuracy of strength analysis. This paper developed a new 3D load distribution method based on multi-dimensional Lagrange multipliers (MDLM), which can simultaneously achieve an efficient and accurate distribution of surface aerodynamic loads and inertial loads in all directions. Typical numerical cases showed that when an aircraft structure model is a plane, this MDLM method converges to the traditional MPA method. For 3D special-shaped surfaces, the average error of this MDLM method is 0.77–2.28%, which is significantly smaller than the average error of the traditional MPA method (3.30–7.40%).

Stress Coupling Analysis and Failure Damage Evaluation of Wind Turbine Blades during Strong Winds

Blades in strong wind conditions are prone to various failures and damage that is due to the action of random variable amplitude loads. In this study, we analyze the failure of 1.5 MW horizontal axis wind turbine blades. The computational fluid dynamics unsteady calculation method is used to simulate the aerodynamic load distribution on the blade. Fluid–structure coupling methods are applied to calculate the blade stress. The results show that the equivalent stress of the blade is the largest when the azimuth angle is 30°, and the maximum equivalent stress is 20.60 MPa. There are obvious stress peaks in six sections, such as r/R = 0.10 (the span length of blade/the full length of the blade = 0.10). The frequency of damage that is caused by the stress in each area of the blade is determined based on the blade damage. The frequency of gel coat cracking in the blade tips and leaves is 77.78% and 22.22%, respectively, and the frequency of crack occurrence is 87.75%, 10.20% and 2.05%, respectively. By combining the stress concentration area and the damage results, the cause of blade damage is determined, which can replace the traditional inspection methods and improve the inspection efficiency.

Design methods and manufacturing techniques applicable in constructing dynamically scaled airplane models

The article describes methods and techniques intended for designing and manufacturing scaled airplane models applicable in experimental flight testing. Reduced model with resized geometric dimensions should be constructed in such way to preserve similarity of its structural properties with properties of the real aircraft. Having kept the similarity of weight, stiffness and aerodynamic load distribution and maintaining properly scaled values of thrust-to-weight and wing loading ratios we can prepare scaled model showing in-flight features identical to the real airplane.A series of measuring and technological activities have to be undertaken to develop full CAD model mapping airframe geometry and structure of the real aircraft. The process chain includes measuring, design and technological activities. The development of the geometry model includes: scanning outer geometry of the real airframe, development of the surface geometry model in the CAD environment and then introducing inner geometry items which together with outer skin face make a completely assembled model of the aircraft. For the needs of constructing scaled model the full-size CAD model has to be reduced. The structure of that resized model do not have to be the same as the real one. Materials and structural elements can be quite different but after assembling them the similarity of static and dynamic structural effects should be proved. Within the manufacturing phase there are some necessary stages like preparing molds for laminating components, milling solid elements, assembly of structural components, surface finishing of the model-body surface. The final model was subjected to a load test in a special test stand to check its deformability under specific load. In the same way the numerical static analysis of the full-size FEM model was conducted. The distribution of static displacement results obtained in both cases were compared. The other way of checking structural properties of the scaled model is comparable analysis of resonant vibrations. However, in this case, vibration measurements were not carried out and model verification stopped on a comparative analysis of construction mass distribution.The procedure and results were elaborated on the example of the Tu-154M aircraft, of which the reduced model was developed in the Faculty of Mechatronics, Armament and Aerospace of the Military University of Technology (FMA MUT Warsaw, PL). Constructing and testing dynamically scaled model is one of many tasks solved in the framework of complex research project, of which the general purpose was to give numerical and experimental results useful in explaining the circumstances of the Smolensk disaster.

A gradient-descent-based method for design of performance-scaled rotor for floating wind turbine model testing in wave basins

When performing the model testing of floating wind turbine (FWT) in wave basins, using geometric-scaled rotors is unable to achieve the desired thrusts due to the dramatic reduction of Reynolds number experienced by model-scaled blades. Alternatively, a performance-scaled rotor (PSR) is usually utilized. In the present study, a gradient-descent-based method, named as CCB-GD method is proposed to conduct the PSR design for FWT model testing in wave basins. Different from existing methods, the proposed method aims to mimic the radial distribution of normal aerodynamic loads along the blade, rather than the total thrust. This is achieved by combining the blade element momentum theory with gradient descent optimization algorithm. In the present design procedure, a new airfoil with good aerodynamic performance at low Reynolds number is first selected, the optimal radial distribution of twist angles and chord lengths are then determined separately and sequentially based on the gradient-descent optimization algorithm. Additionally, high-order Bezier curves are used to smooth the radial distribution of twist angle and chord length. The proposed method is demonstrated by two case studies, in which the PSR design of the NREL 5 MW wind turbine and the DTU 10 MW wind turbine are conducted and compared with existing methods. Results show that the present method can design the PSR with good accuracy. Besides, the present method is robust, generic and also applicable in the PSR design of MW-scale wind turbines for FWT model testing in the wave basin.

適応的空力弾性制御モデルの構築と風洞実験による検証 ---圧力制御と翼端変位推定---

GLA (= Gust Load Alleviation) control is an important active safety technology, especially for light-weight flexible wing aircraft with high aspect ratio wings. This paper proposes an adaptive aero-servo-elastic model for control design, including an aerodynamic load distribution estimator using in-flight partial pressure sensing. The GLA control law obtained based on the proposed model consists of pressure control and mode estimation. In general, aero-servo-elastic models require an wing structure dynamics and an aerodynamic model around the wing. However, it is difficult to construct a generic model in advance for complex unsteady aerodynamic phenomena where turbulence and vibration of flexible wings interact. In this case, the optimality and the reliability of a model-based GLA control is significantly reduced. To minimize the uncertainty of the model for unsteady aerodynamics, this method proposes the use of an autoregressive model with time-varying coefficients, which are updated in real-time based on in-flight pressure sensing. The feasibility of the proposed GLA scheme is demonstrated in terms of both pressure control and wing tip displacement estimation through wind tunnel experiments.

Structural Sizing and Topology Optimization Based on Weight Minimization of a Variable Tapered Span-Morphing Wing for Aerodynamic Performance Improvements.

This article proposes the integration of structural sizing, topology, and aerodynamic optimization for a morphing variable span of tapered wing (MVSTW) with the aim to minimize its weight. In order to evaluate the feasibility of the morphing wing optimization, this work creates a numerical environment by incorporating simultaneous structural sizing and topology optimization based on its aerodynamic analysis. This novel approach is proposed for an MVSTW. A problem-specific optimization approach to determine the minimum weight structure of the wing components for its fixed and moving segments is firstly presented. The optimization was performed using the OptiStruct solver inside HyperMesh. This investigation seeks to minimize total structure compliance while maximizing stiffness in order to satisfy the structural integrity requirements of the MVSTW. The aerodynamic load distribution along the wingspan at full wingspan extension and maximum speed were considered in the optimization processes. The wing components were optimized for size and topology, and all of them were built from aluminum alloy 2024-T3. The optimization results show that weight savings of up to 51.2% and 55.7% were obtained for fixed and moving wing segments, respectively. Based on these results, the optimized variable-span morphing wing can perform certain flight missions perfectly without experiencing any mechanical failures.

Extrapolation and inversion of near-field propeller noise measurements

This paper describes an experimental method for making high resolution measurements of the tonal noise from a UAV propeller in the acoustic near-field and then methods of using this data to predict blade loading, via inversion, and the radiated ‘steady loading’ and ‘thickness’ tones, via extrapolation. The experimental method uses a traversing probe microphone to measure the acoustic pressure along an axial line outboard of the propeller tip. The acoustic pressures were then ensemble averaged over many propeller revolutions. Because of the azimuthal periodicity of the ensemble-average pressure field produced by the propeller, the measured data was used to infer the pressure on a cylinder enclosing the propeller. These measurements are compared with a noise prediction made using data from a computational fluid dynamics simulation of the same propeller and are found to be in reasonable agreement – with differences attributed to the small differences in the predicted and actual blade loading distributions. Because of the high amplitude and evanescent nature of the near-field pressure produced by a propeller, measurements were made in a non-anechoic environment and were relatively unaffected by background noise or reverberation effects. The near-field acoustic data was used as input to an inverse problem to estimate the aerodynamic loading distribution on the propeller blades. The method was applied first to the numerical data for validation and then to the experimental data as a demonstration. The reconstructed loading distributions were then used as input to a method for calculating the radiated acoustic field and the predictions show good agreement with a direct projection using the measured near-field experimental data.

Research on the reasonable end shape of the windbreak wall model in the wind tunnel test via numerical simulation

The improved delayed detached-eddy simulation (IDDES) method was used in this study to explore the influence of windbreak wall end shape on the wind tunnel test of the high-speed train aerodynamic characteristics. Affected by three different types of windbreak walls (long-enough, rounded-end, and blunt-end), the aerodynamic force, pressure distributions on the train surface, and flow fields around the train were compared and analyised mainly under a yaw angle of 30°. A wind tunnel test was carried out to verify the reliability of the numerical calculation method. Windbreak walls with different end shapes mainly exert an effect on the flow field in the region between the front end of the windbreak wall and the nose of the head car. However, the influence on the aerodynamic load and surface pressure distribution of the train is local, so the end of the windbreak wall can be blunt for convenience in the wind tunnel test. In addition, the length of the windbreak wall is an important factor affecting the accuracy of the wind tunnel test.

Analysis of driving styles of a GP2 car via minimum lap-time direct trajectory optimization

This paper addresses the problem of the link between the driving style of an ideal driver, modelled as an optimal controller, and fundamental set-up parameters of a vehicle in the GP2 motorsport class. The aim is to evaluate quantitatively how set-up parameters, like distribution of aerodynamic loads, weight and roll stiffness between front and rear axles, affect the driving style, encoded in the shape of the optimal trajectory and in the acceleration, brake and steer inputs. To this aim, we develop an optimization code that includes a double-track vehicle model capable of solving the minimum lap-time problem (MLTP) on a given track. The track is represented via NURBS curves and the MLTP is framed and solved as an optimal control problem by transcription into a nonlinear program using direct collocation. To assess the accuracy of the vehicle model and the optimization pipeline, we also validate our results against real telemetry data. The developed software framework lends itself to easily perform both sensitivity analysis and concurrent trajectory planning and set-up parameter optimization: this is obtained by simple promotion of static parameters of interests to variables in the optimal control problem. Some results along these lines are also included.

Aeroelastic Demonstrator Wing Design for Maneuver Load Alleviation Under Cruise Shape Constraint

Application of the aeroelastic analysis and design framework developed at Delft University of Technology to a design of two aeroelastically tailored composite wings for a flying demonstrator is presented. The objective of the design process is to minimize structural mass of the wing while maintaining a target cruise shape. For this purpose, the jig shape of the wing is parameterized and becomes an integral part of the optimization, while the cruise shape is maintained by means of a constraint. Additionally strength, buckling, aeroelastic stability constraints, and a number of other design requirements have been introduced to obtain a feasible and flight-worthy design. Two wing types were designed: the reference wing and the tailored wing. The difference between the two wings is in the definition of the laminates comprising each wing. The reference wing was designed with symmetric-balanced laminates, while symmetric-unbalanced laminates were used for the tailored wing. The comparison is performed in terms of laminate stiffness and thickness distribution along the span, jig twist, and the aeroelastic response covering elastic deformations, aerodynamic load distribution, and wing root loads, showing a significant mass reduction for the tailored wing compared to the reference wing.

Numerical investigation of leading edge noise reduction on a rod-airfoil configuration using porous materials and serrations

A lattice-Boltzmann method has been employed to study the aeroacoustics and aerodynamics of airfoils equipped with leading edge treatments, namely the porous leading edge and leading edge serrations. The present study aims to identify the differences in noise reduction mechanisms between the two treatments. Within the context of turbomachinery applications, the airfoils undergo aerodynamic excitation due to the impingement of turbulent wake shed by an upstream rod. Two airfoil profiles are considered: NACA 0012 and NACA 5406; the latter mimics geometrical features and aerodynamic loading distribution of the outlet-guide vane in a turbofan test rig. Simulations are carried out at a freestream Mach number of 0.22, corresponding to Reynolds number based on the rod diameter of 48 000. The serrations are designed to follow a sinusoidal planform shape, whereas the porous leading edge is based on a Ni-Cr-Al metal-foam with homogeneous and isotropic properties. It is found that the porous leading edge attenuates noise by dampening surface pressure fluctuations due to the reduced blockage effect compared to the solid one. Differently, the leading edge serrations promote destructive interference of noise sources along the span. When applied against turbulent inflow with tonal characteristic, such as that induced by the impingement of Kàrmàn vortex street in the rod wake, the latter is more effective. On the other hand, both treatments are found to produce similar broadband noise reduction. When comparing aerodynamic performances, it is found that under a lifting condition, cross-flow is present through the porous material which results in lift reduction and drag increase. A serrated porous leading edge is then proposed to combine the benefits of the two leading edge treatments. This results in optimal noise reduction performances and lower aerodynamic penalty with respect to the fully porous leading edge.