Tuft flow visualisation on UTM-LST VFE-2 delta wing model configuration at high angle of attacks

Abstract

This paper reports on flow visualisation and surface pressure measurements over the upper surface of a blunt-edged delta wing model at high angles of attack. The flow structure above the upper surface of the blunt-edged delta wing was found to be different compared to delta wing with sharp leading edge. The flow becomes more complicated especially in the leading edge region of the wing. Currently, there is no data available to verify if the primary vortex could reach the apex of the wing when the angle of attack is further increased. Most prior experiments were performed at the angles of attack, α, below 23° with only a few experiments that had gone to α = 27°. These prior experiments and some CFD works stipulated that the attached flow continue to exist in the apex region of the delta wing even at very high angles of attack above 23°. In order to verify this hypothesis, several experiments at high angles of attack were conducted in Universiti Teknologi Malaysia Low Speed wind Tunnel (UTM–LST), using a specially constructed VFE2 wing model equipped with blunt leading edges. This series of experiments employed two measurement techniques; the first was the long tuft flow visualisation method, followed by surface pressure measurements. The experiments were performed at Reynolds numbers of 1.0×106 and 1.5×106. During these experiments, several interesting flow characteristics were observed at high angles of attack, mainly that the flow became more sensitive to changes in Reynolds number and the angles of attack of the wing. When the Reynolds number increased from 1×106 to 1.5×106, the upstream progression of the initial point of the main vortex was relatively delayed compared to the sharp-edged delta wing. The experiments also showed that the flow continued to be attached in the apex region up to α = 27°.