Abstract

Wings experiencing large flow disturbances often experience massive flow separation resulting in shear layers and the formation of strong vortices. These vortices typically lead to large force and moment transients and thus it is of interest to understand how changes in vorticity within a flow give rise to unsteady forces and how we might control these flows and forces. Using a combination of experimental, numerical, and theoretical approaches, examples of these flows are given, including gust encounters and maneuvering wings. Data analysis focuses on vortex formation and how the transport of vorticity gives rise to unsteady loading on lifting surfaces and how transient loads might be mitigated via wing maneuvers. As a general rule, two-dimensional and linear models are found to capture the essential physics of these types of flows and provide reasonable predictions of unsteady lift for short times after large flow disturbances. Gust response mitigation can be achieved using classical control theory to exploit the separated flow physics.

https://cassyni.com/s/fmws