22nd Congress of International Council of the Aeronautical Sciences, Harrogate, UK, 28 August - 1st September, 2000
Paper ICAS 2000-3.10.3

REQUIREMENTS FOR SUBSCALE SIMULATION OF DELTA-WING VORTEX CHARACTERISTICS

L. E. Ericsson (1), M. E. Beyers (2)
(1) Mountain View, California 94040, USA; (2) Institute for Aerospace Research, NRC, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Keywords: delta-wing, vortex characteristics, subscale simulation

A review of published experimental results for delta-wing configurations shows that the measured vortex characteristics can differ greatly between the various tests. An analysis reveals that there are two reasons for the observed differences, i.e. 1) dissimilar simulation capabilities, determined by the achievable Reynolds number and the relative severity of the ground facility interference in the test facilities used, and 2) differences in geometric details between the tested models. These factors are usually interconnected as they have their origins in the difficulties in supporting a pure delta wing without essentially changing its geometry, difficulties aggravated by the need for maximizing the model scale to achieve the highest possible test Reynolds number. It is found that modest changes in the model scale and/or test conditions can often reduce these problems to a manageable level.

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