Title: Simulation of a Laminar Flow Model to Enable Design for Manufacturing of Laminar Flow Aerostructures

Authors: Eddie Irani, See-Ho Wong, and See-Cheuk Wong

DOI: 10.33599/nasampe/c.19.0763

Abstract: Advances in manufacturing technology can produce smooth aircraft surfaces to achieve laminar flow at high Reynolds numbers which can reduce drag significantly. Potential benefits include increased range, improved fuel economy, and even reduced aircraft weight, resulting in improved operating economics and reduced emissions. However, due to practical constraints associated with the fabrication and assembly as well as operating constraints, laminar flow conditions are generally difficult to achieve and maintain. Steps or irregularities of the surfaces caused by manufacturing processes, non-seamless paint layers, dust, insects, dirt and even vibration can be enough to initiate transition and cause a laminar boundary layer to become turbulent at elevated Reynolds numbers. The present research effort is focused on using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to investigate the surface smoothness requirements for a laminar flow nacelle and validating the existing simulation tools [1].

References: 1. Irani, E. and Kuenn, A. “Wind Tunnel Test and Computational Studies of a Supercritical Airfoil for Correlation and Advancement of Design Methodologies,” AIAA Paper 2013-0494, 2013. doi: 10.2514/6.2013-494 2. Schlichting, Herman, Boundary Layer Theory, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1960. Various. 3. Schetz, J.A., Boundary Layer Analysis, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, 1993. Various. 4. Special Course on Skin Friction Drag Reduction, AGARD Report 786, March 1992 5. Masad, Jamal A., Effect of Surface Waviness on Transition in Three-Dimensional Boundary-Layer Flow, NASA CR 201641, December 1996 6. Aaron Drake, Russell V. Westphal, Beverley J. McKeon, Wayne Rohe, et al., Step Excrescence Effects for Manufacturing Tolerances on Laminar Flow Wings, AIAA 2010-375, January 2010 7. Viken, Jeffrey K. et al., “Design of the Low-Speed NLF (1)-0414F and the High-Speed HSNLF (1)-0213 Airfoils with High-Lift Systems,” No. N90-12540, National Aeronautical and Space Administration (1987). 8. Langtry, R. B. and Menter F.R., “Transition modeling for general CFD applications in aeronautics,” AIAA paper 522.2005 (2005).

Conference: CAMX 2019

Publication Date: 2019/09/23

SKU: TP19-0763

Pages: 12

Price: $24.00