Work

Flow field analysis of a high agility type aircraft aeroelastic wind tunnel model

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Modern high-agility aircraft are often affected by the consequences of tail buffeting effects at subsonic speeds and medium to high angles of attack. High pressure fluctuations with distinct frequency contents characterize the flow field downstream of vortex breakdown and are often responsible for the dynamic structural response, which can result in heavy structural damage and degraded handling qualities. For analyzing the flow field and the frequency content of the pressure fluctuations over a modular full-span wind tunnel model with either rigid or aeroelastically scaled double-delta wings and horizontal and vertical tailplanes, stereoscopic particle image velocimetry measurements and measurements with a fast-response aerodynamic pressure probe are performed. The aeroelastically scaled components are 3D-printed from polylactide whereas the rigid components are made of aluminum and serve as a reference case. When comparing the rigid and aeroelastically scaled configurations, significant differences in the axial vortex core velocities in some measurement planes can be detected, while the power spectral densities of the flow field pressure fluctuations show similar characteristics with slight differences in the amplitudes.

Source: Aerospace Science and Technology

DOI: 10.1016/j.ast.2025.110177

Authors: Julius Stegmüller, Andreas Molz, Paloma García-Guillén, Christian Breitsamter

Institution: Technical University of Munich

Language: English

Topic: Aeroelasticity and Vibration Control

Subfield: Aerospace Engineering

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $4,360

Funder: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft