Aerofoils

Geometric modification as the most effective passive flow control method has recently received wide attention due to its enormous potential in enhancing performance characteristics of airfoils or hydrofoils without expensive manufacturing and maintenance cost. Two primary passive flow control modifications, known as leading-edge tubercles and internal slots and their applications in airfoils/hydrofoils have been investigated in this dissertation. For the hydrofoil, since free surface effects cannot be neglected, the interaction between the hydrofoil-motion induced waves on the free surface and the hydrofoil has been studied as well. In the theoretical approach aspect, an empirically-based model based on an iteration scheme has been proposed for predicting the lift coefficients of twisted airfoils with leading-edge tubercles by using experimental data for untwisted airfoils. With both numerical and experimental investigations, this dissertation has discussed the application of a custom optimized-design internal slot on a NACA 634-021 airfoil blade to allow ventilation of flow through the slot from the pressure side to the suction side of the blade, in support of delaying flow separation, and stall. The combined effect of an internal slot in an airfoil and transverse leading-edge tubercles on its performance has been further studied both numerically and experimentally. Moreover, performance of a NACA 634-021 hydrofoil in motion under and in close proximity of a free surface for a large range of AoAs has been studied. Lift and drag coefficients of the hydrofoil at different submergence depths are investigated both numerically and experimentally. The results of the numerical study are in good agreement with the experimental results. The agreement confirms the new finding that for a submerged hydrofoil operating at high AoAs close to a free surface, the interaction between the hydrofoil-motion induced waves on the free surface and the hydrofoil results in mitigation of the flow separation characteristics on the suction side of the foil and delay in stall, and improvement in hydrofoil performance. A similarly submerged hydrofoil with a custom-designed internal slot has further been studied. The performance characteristics of the slotted hydrofoil in the presence of the free surface are investigated both numerically and experimentally.

Particle image velocimetry and flow visualization are used to characterize the wake of a heaving airfoil in a set of two experiments. In the first experiment a tandem airfoil configuration is used, with a stationary airfoil downstream of a heaving airfoil (modified Schmidt wave-propeller). Several vortex structures are identified for a forced Strouhal number (St)---based on airfoil chord-length, forcing frequency, and free-steam velocity---for 0.1 < St < 0.7. An asymmetric average velocity profile is measured in the upper St range. In the second experiment, the wake behind a single heaving airfoil is further inspected, with the purpose of highlighting the asymmetric wake, for 0.1 < St < 1.0. A maximum wake excursion of 18 degrees is measured at St = 0.6, and a minimum excursion of 5.7 degrees occurs at St = 0.9. Using averaged velocity profiles, a virtual origin of the wake excursion is also calculated.

The aim of this thesis is to develop a theory for non stationary propulsor flow noise. The model which is proposed is based on Amiet's paper "Acoustic Radiation from an Airfoil in a Turbulent Stream" [1], which describes broad band noise when a simple model of airfoil interacts with a turbulent flow, under the assumption of stationarity. The Karhunen-Loeve method provides a set of modes which describe the turbulent flow without the assumption of stationarity. A method is described to obtain broad band noise calculations when the mean turbulent flow varies with time and produces non stationary turbulence. A comparison of the numerical results obtained with the results from the paper of reference [1] shows the characteristics of time varying sound radiation. The various mathematical formulae will give a starting point to the analysis of real time varying flows, which are not considered in this thesis.

In this work, a two-dimensional model representing the vortices that animals produce, when they are flying/swimming, was constructed. A D{shaped cylinder and an oscillating airfoil were used to mimic these body{shed and wing{generated vortices, respectively. The parameters chosen are based on the Reynolds numbers similar to that which is observed in nature (104). In order to imitate the motion of ying/swimming, the entire system was suspended into a water channel from frictionless air{bearings. The position of the apparatus in the channel was regulated with a linear, closed loop PI controller. Thrust/drag forces were measured with strain gauges and particle image velocimetry (PIV) was used to examine the wake structure that develops. The Strouhal number of the oscillating airfoil was compared to the values observed in nature as the system transitions between the accelerated and steady states... As suggested by previous work, this self-regulation is a result of a limit cycle process that stems from nonlinear periodic oscillations. The limit cycles were used to examine the synchronous conditions due to the coupling of the foil and wake vortices. Noise is a factor that can mask details of the synchronization. In order to control its effect, we study the locking conditions using an analytic technique that only considers the phases.. The results suggest that Strouhal number selection in steady forward natural swimming and flying is the result of a limit cycle process and not actively controlled by an organism. An implication of this is that only relatively simple sensory and control hardware may be necessary to control the steady forward motion of man-made biomimetically propelled vehicles.